Behind Blue Eyes
by NCISVU
Summary: A little boy with a cryptic note exposes a secret that Gibbs was never supposed to find out about. Kid fic. Gibbs & Team.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** My first kid fic of 2013. Yay! :) I hope you guys like it. This is a WIP. The goal is to update it once a week but life has been kind of crazy lately so I can't make any promises. As of right now I'm not planning any romance but like I said, it's a WIP so that might change. I won't turn it into slash though because I know some of you have been waiting for a non-slashy kid fic. Rated T for some language.

**Warning:** This story deals with child abandonment.

* * *

**Behind Blue Eyes**

**Chapter One: A Very Special Delivery **

Casey Hopkins was nearing the end of his shift when an older model Buick parked along the road in front of the guard shack at the main gate of Washington's Navy Yard. Something felt off immediately. People either turned down the road to come through the gate or turned down the next road to park in the small parking lot and walk onto the Navy Yard. No one ever parked along the main road.

He tapped his side to make sure his sidearm was in place before stepping out to investigate. The passenger door of the car opened and a woman almost completely hidden by the winter clothes she was wearing stepped out with a small child. She toddled at the child's pace and the two slowly made their way towards Casey. Suspicious indeed.

With his heart rate elevated and his mind and body on full alert, Casey took a step towards the woman. "Can I help you, Ma'am?"

"Yes," the woman answered kindly. "We're here to see Agent Gibbs." Her voice was muffled behind the scarf covering her mouth.

Casey nodded. He knew Agent Gibbs. "I'll just need your ID," he said, figuring he'd call down to NCIS and ask Gibbs about her.

"Oh, it's in the car," the woman said. "Let me run and get it. Baby, you stay here. Mommy will be right back."

Before Casey could object, the woman was hurrying back towards her car. He stared down at the little boy who was chewing on his fingers. The child was nowhere near as bundled up as his mother was but a woman who was willing to leave her baby with a stranger didn't exactly scream responsibility to Casey. And what was with the guy in the driver's seat? Why didn't these people just drive onto the Navy Yard?

All his questions were answered a moment later when Casey heard the car door slam and tires squealing as the car took off down the street. His mouth dropped open in shock as he watched the vehicle go. Did that really just happen? He looked down at the little boy still standing in front of him and couldn't believe it.

"Uh-oh!" the boy said. He couldn't have been older than two.

"Uh-oh is right," Casey said. His training took over and he knelt in front of the boy to look him over. He didn't appear to be hurt. Casey unzipped the boy's jacket and peeked inside to make sure the child wasn't carrying anything suspicious. You could never be too careful, especially considering how strange that woman was acting.

The little boy giggled when Casey ran his hands over his belly and back and down his legs before zipping his coat up again. He was swooped into the man's arms and carried into the guard shack.

"Looks like you've got a note in your pocket here," Casey said, pulling a slightly crumpled envelope out of the child's coat pocket. Agent Gibbs was scrawled across the front of it in barely legible chicken scratch. "Do you know Agent Gibbs?" Casey asked more to himself than the child. He didn't know much about children but he assumed the boy was too young to really understand what was happening.

The door to the guard shack opened and Casey's replacement entered. "Hopkins! Who's your little friend?"

"Don't know, Moore," Casey answered, watching as the child's attention turned to Brendan Moore when he spoke.

"Bye-bye!" the little boy said as he waved at Moore.

"Hello," Moore corrected with a smile as he tweaked the child's nose.

The little boy squealed in delight as he grabbed at Moore's finger.

"What's going on?" Moore asked, running his thumb over the boy's fingers.

"Car pulled up a couple minutes ago, some lady got out with him and said they were here to see Agent Gibbs. I told her I needed to see her ID. She left the kid with me, went back to her car to get it and next thing I know she's squealing tires to get outta here."

"You're shittin' me!" Moore said.

"No I'm not and watch your language," Casey said with a glare. They weren't used to having little ears around.

"Right," Moore said turning his attention back to the boy who was still holding onto his finger. "Don't say shit, little man. It's a bad word."

"Seriously, dude?" Casey said.

"What?" Moore asked.

"Ssssh. Sshhhhh," the little boy gurgled before Moore clasped his hand over the child's mouth.

"Shit," Moore mouthed at Casey.

"He's little. He's gonna mimic everything he hears."

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"I dunno. Common sense?" Casey replied.

"You have a nephew. You know these things. I don't."

Casey just rolled his eyes.

"Ye-ouch!" Moore screamed jerking his hand away from the little boy's mouth. "He bit me!"

"Good," Casey teased, patting the laughing child's head.

"What're we gonna do with him?" Moore asked, rubbing at the bite mark on his hand.

"Well, I'm definitely not leaving him here with you!" Casey joked. "You'd probably have him smoking cigarettes and swearing up a storm by the time I got back tonight."

"Funny," Moore said, "but I don't smoke."

"He had this shoved in his pocket," Casey said, showing Moore the envelope. "I guess I'll take him to Agent Gibbs."

"Good plan," Moore said. He took the child from Casey and made goo-goo eyes and a goofy grin at him while Casey got ready to go then Casey took the boy back and headed off towards his car.

* * *

It was only 9:30 in the morning but it had already been a very long day for Gibbs. After a late start he hadn't had time to stop by his diner for coffee leaving him with the McDonalds drive thru which was one step up from drinking dishwater—barely. Vance had chewed him out for a mistake the probationary agent who'd been assigned to his team last week had made and his team was going through their Monday morning routine of spitballs and paper airplanes, name calling and other things Gibbs would expect to find in a kindergarten classroom rather than the bullpen. He could only hope this wasn't an indication of how his week was going to go.

"McGee, Ziva, go get Troutman from the holding cell and get her over to Metro," he ordered. "Sportelli's expecting you."

"Since when did we start making deliveries to Sportelli?" Ziva asked.

"Since now. Go."

"You guys enjoy your ride," Tony snarked. "I'm just gonna sit here in right-ville and enjoy this well earned cappuccino."

"We get it, Tony," Tim said with a roll of his eyes, "the wife did it. You've once again correctly predicted the wife after countless incorrect guesses."

"DiNozzo, get typing," Gibbs said before the argument could continue. He turned and looked at Tim and Ziva. "Why are you two still here?"

"We're not," Tim said, grabbing Ziva's arm and dragging her towards the elevator.

Gibbs was just starting to relax and let the quiet calm him when a shadow blocked the sunlight pouring in from the skylight. He looked up to find the guard that let him into the Navy Yard every morning holding a little boy. "Casey, what's going on?" he asked as he stood. "Is this the nephew you're always talking about?" He smiled and winked at the little boy who was sucking his thumb.

"This isn't my nephew, Agent Gibbs," Casey said. "He was dropped off at the front gate a few minutes ago."

"Dropped off?" Gibbs asked. That didn't make any sense.

Casey swallowed hard as the reality of what had happened finally hit him. "Abandoned," he corrected. "He had this note in his pocket; has your name on it and his mom said she was here to see you."

Gibbs pulled some gloves out of his desk and put them on before taking the envelope. He slid his letter opener under the seam and in one swift, easy motion the envelope was opened. He pulled out the scrap paper inside, complete with a coffee stain on it, to find two words scrawled across the middle in chicken scratch that put Tony's handwriting to shame: I'm sorry.

"What does it say?" Tony asked as he made his way over to Gibbs' desk.

"Tell me what happened," Gibbs told Casey as he showed the note to Tony.

"An old model Buick Skylark pulled up along the main road. There was a man driving. This lady got out with the kid and I asked if I could help her. She said she was here to see you. I told her I needed to see her ID. She left the kid with me, went back to the car to get it and the car sped off."

"Did you get a license plate?" Gibbs asked.

"Car didn't have plates."

"Color?"

"Gold. It was in really good shape for its age. It wasn't rusted out or banged up or anything."

"Did you get a good look at the adults?" Gibbs asked.

Casey shook his head. "The guy had an overgrown beard, gray or blonde maybe. The lady was bundled up enough she coulda survived a week on the Iditarod."

"Could've been to disguise her identity or maybe they're from outta town," Tony said helpfully. People from down south always bundled up a lot more than those who were used to the New England cold.

Gibbs slipped the note and envelope into an evidence collection bag and sealed it before pulling the gloves off and dropping them into his trash can. Casey stood the little boy on Gibbs' desk, keeping a firm grip on him so he wouldn't fall. He wasn't sure how steady the kid was on his feet.

"Hey, big guy," Gibbs said as he picked the little boy up. "What's your name?"

"B-duy," the boy mimicked. "B-duy." His little tongue popped out and he smiled brightly at Gibbs.

Gibbs couldn't hold back his smile. What was it about little kids that always made him so happy?

He noted that the child was still in diapers and had lost all his baby fat. Judging by his unsure movements and the way he was trying to mimic words, Gibbs guessed he was somewhere between a year and a half to two years old. It wasn't long before he was wiggling around, trying to escape from Gibbs' grasp. Gibbs stood him on the floor then sat back down in his chair so he could reach him to keep him out of trouble.

"Any idea who this is, Boss?" Tony asked. He knelt and let the little boy hold onto his finger.

"Nope," Gibbs answered.

"Careful, he bites," Casey warned.

"I know you're anxious to get outta here, Casey, but I need DiNozzo to take your statement," Gibbs said, watching their guest closely.

"As long as he hurries," Casey said. "It's almost my bedtime."

"I've never met anyone who could sleep all day," Gibbs teased.

"I work all night!" Casey protested.

Gibbs laughed as he motioned towards Tony's desk with his head. "DiNozzo, take his statement. We'll be with Ducky."

Both Tony and Casey waved at the little boy as Gibbs scooped him up and headed towards the elevator.

"Bye-bye," the boy said, waving back at them over Gibbs' shoulder.

"Bye-bye," both men repeated.

"Let's see if we can figure out who you are and where you belong, buddy," Gibbs said as they stepped into the elevator.

The little boy looked around the small room curiously. The man pushed a button and it lit up then the doors closed, trapping them in the small box. When the room started falling, the boy grabbed frantically at Gibbs' shirt and his eyes welled up with tears.

"It's okay, kiddo," Gibbs said, holding the boy a little tighter. "We're just taking a little ride." He wiped away the tears that spilled out and before the boy could get too worked up, the elevator doors opened and Gibbs stepped out. "See? It's okay."

The little boy looked around and was satisfied that they'd made it to safety but he didn't like the loud noises coming from the room they were entering. He covered his ears with his hands as he was carried closer and closer to the noisemaker then, with the push of a button, it was quiet.

"Hey!" Abby protested. She turned to scold Gibbs but ended up smiling when she saw the small child in his arms. "Who's this?"

"Don't know," Gibbs answered, handing her the evidence bag with the envelope and note in it.

"If you were gonna write me an apology, you coulda at least used a clean sheet of paper," Abby said.

Gibbs gave her an amused look but didn't respond verbally.

"What's going on? Where did he come from?"

"He was abandoned at the front gate this morning," Gibbs explained as he stood the child on the evidence table and helped him get his jacket off. "I need you to see if you can get any prints or trace off this stuff. I smell marijuana on his jacket."

"I do too," Abby said, turning her nose up. "He's a little young to be smoking pot," she cooed as she tickled the boy's belly, earning herself a laugh in return.

"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs said as he scooped the child into his arms once again. "We'll be with Ducky."

After another scary elevator ride, Gibbs and the boy stepped out in front of the autopsy suite. The swoosh of the autopsy doors opening only startled the boy further causing him to tighten his embrace on Gibbs' neck. Gibbs rubbed his back as they stepped into the cold, sterile room.

"Hey, Duck," Gibbs greeted. "Got a minute?"

"For you, Jethro? Always," Ducky answered warmly. "Who do we have here?"

"Good question," Gibbs answered. He gave Ducky a brief rundown of the morning's events then they turned their attention back to their guest who was taking in everything in the room.

"This is Ducky," Gibbs told the boy as he sat him on one of the tables. "He's a doctor. He's gonna take a look at you and make sure you're okay."

"Let me grab a blanket out of my office, Jethro," Ducky said. "Otherwise this table will be far too cold for him."

While Ducky retrieved a blanket, Gibbs got the little boy's shirt and pants off. The child was thin but not underweight and except for a few normal childhood bumps and bruises, there wasn't a mark on him. He hadn't been physically abused.

Ducky returned and spread the blanket out on the cold table then Gibbs laid the child down. The boy put his fingers in his mouth and watched Ducky carefully.

"My, my, my, look at those blue eyes," Ducky said as put the earpieces of his stethoscope in his ears.

Gibbs kept a hand on the boy's belly to prevent him from rolling and let him play with his fingers while Ducky checked him over. It didn't take long for the doctor to declare the child healthy. Like Gibbs, Ducky estimated the boy's age to be between eighteen and twenty four months and reported that he was right on target with where a child that age should be both physically and developmentally.

"If you'll get him dressed, Jethro, I need to make a quick phone call," Ducky said. He took his medical bag back over to his desk, picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. "Mr. Palmer, after you get my tea would you stop by the store and pick up some diapers please?"

"_Diapers?" Jimmy asked. "What for?"_

"I don't have time for questions right now, Mr. Palmer."

"_What size?"_

"Our guest weighs just under twenty five pounds," Ducky answered. "Thank you, Mr. Palmer." After hanging up the phone, he returned to the table and helped Gibbs get the squirmy baby back into his shirt.

"Why would someone abandon a child at the front gate of the Navy Yard?" Gibbs asked. He knew of instances where children had been abandoned at fire stations or hospitals or even police stations but never at the Navy Yard and what was with that cryptic note?

"It appears we have a mystery on our hands, Jethro."

* * *

Once Tony finished taking Casey's statement, he put it on Gibbs' desk then headed down to Abby's lab. Tim and Ziva were still at DC Metro and as far as he knew Gibbs was still down in autopsy with the mysterious little boy. The elevator doors opened and Tony was met with silence.

"What's wrong, Abs?" he asked as he entered the lab.

"Hey, Tony," Abby greeted with her usual, perky smile. "Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?"

"There's no music rupturing my eardrums," Tony said.

"Oh, Gibbs was here earlier. He turned it off and didn't turn it back on again before he left. I got busy and I guess I didn't notice the quiet."

"Did you find out anything about the kid?" Tony asked, looking closely at the note.

"Not yet," Abby answered. "I got a print off the note. I'm running it through the system now. I'm also building a DNA profile for whoever licked the envelope. Hopefully we'll get a hit on at least one of them. And I found another scrap of paper in his jacket pocket. Does that look like the logo for Munchkin Mayhem Daycare Center?"

Tony examined the shred of paper carefully before nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Red with a castle and that funky double M design. It's gotta be."

"I wasn't sure if Gibbs wanted to call over there or send someone or what," Abby said. "I don't know what info he wants to give out about the kid."

"Good thinking," Tony said.

"What'd you find out?" Abby asked.

"Casey said the lady who abandoned him referred to herself as the boy's mom," Tony reported. "He couldn't give me much except he thought the car was a mid to late '80s model, gold, not yellow, Buick Skylark."

"I take it since he didn't come down here that he didn't think he could do a sketch," Abby said.

"No, the lady was all bundled up and he didn't get close enough to the guy."

"Bummer."

* * *

Gibbs made a stop in the break room before heading back to Abby's lab. His new shadow was busy chewing on the collar of his polo shirt but Gibbs decided that was better than his finger. Gibbs didn't know if the kid was teething, hungry or just plain bored. He looked at the vending machine and realized there wasn't anything in there he could feed him. He put a few coins in the drink machine and pushed the button to get a bottle of chocolate milk.

The clunk of the bottle falling in the machine drew the boy's attention away from the growing wet spot he was creating on the collar of Gibbs' shirt.

"Are ya thirsty, bud?" Gibbs asked as he opened the bottle.

The child licked his lips and slurped down some of the drink with Gibbs' help. "Mmm."

"You like that?" Gibbs asked.

The boy answered by grabbing at the bottle and chewing on the edge until Gibbs tipped it and helped him take another drink. Gibbs laughed to himself as he headed towards Abby's lab. He was hoping Abby had found some clue about who the kid was and that that would lead them to why he'd been dropped off.

"What'd you guys find out?" he asked as he strolled into the lab.

"Not much to tell yet, Gibbs," Abby reported. "I found a print on the note and I'm running that through the system now. I also found a piece of paper with Munchkin Mayhem Daycare Center's logo on it."

"Could Casey tell you anything else, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he examined the piece of paper.

"Just that the mystery woman referred to herself as the guy's mom."

"Are McGee and Ziva back yet?" Gibbs asked.

"Haven't seen 'em," Tony answered.

"DiNozzo, you're with me," Gibbs said. "Abs, do you mind keeping an eye on him while we're gone?"

"I'd love to!" Abby said, taking the little boy from Gibbs.

"Palmer's bringing back diapers," Gibbs said, looking at his watch. "He should be back soon."

"Don't worry about us," Abby said, tickling the boy's belly to get him to laugh.

* * *

Gibbs and Tony followed the sounds of the children's voices to a large open room in Munchkin Mayhem Daycare. There was a teenager standing behind a large desk next to a middle aged woman who looked like she'd just arrived.

"Can I help you?" the older of the two asked with a smile. She put the bag she was carrying in the desk chair and hung her coat over the back.

"Special Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo," Gibbs said, showing her his badge. When he tried to put it away, the woman reached out and held onto it so he couldn't. The strange look on her face puzzled both agents.

"Is this you?" she asked, despite Gibbs' picture being next to his name.

"Yeah," Gibbs answered. "Is there a problem?"

"No," the woman said. "I'm Heather Cooley, the director of the daycare. Let's go in here and talk where it's a little quieter."

She took them into a room loaded with what looked like every art supply available to man neatly organized on shelves.

"Do you have any children absent today?" Gibbs asked.

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific," Heather answered with a smile. "We have almost sixty children enrolled in our program but they're never here all at once."

"Little guy," Gibbs said, "maybe eighteen to twenty four months old."

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, clothing smells like marijuana?" Heather asked.

Gibbs cocked his head at the woman in confusion.

"How'd you know that?" Tony asked.

"I'll be right back," Heather said.

"Maybe the kid's being abused and the woman's been expecting us," Tony suggested, trying to figure out how, out of sixty children, she happened to know which one they were talking about.

"There wasn't a mark on him," Gibbs said.

The woman returned and handed Gibbs a picture of the little boy that had been abandoned at NCIS that morning.

"That's him," Gibbs said.

"We took these pictures for a Mother's Day project," Heather said. "With all these kids we have to get started early." Gibbs could tell she was stalling but couldn't figure out why. "May I ask why you're inquiring about the boy?"

"He was abandoned at the front gate of the Navy Yard this morning," Tony replied. "We need to figure out who he is and why he was left on our doorstep."

Heather pulled out a half size sheet of cardstock paper and handed it to Gibbs. "This might answer a few of your questions. It's his emergency contact card."

Gibbs looked at the name on the paper and his eyes widened in shock. "This is why you grabbed my badge."

"I'd heard the name before," Heather replied.

"What name?" Tony asked.

Heather looked at Gibbs and realized he was still too stunned to answer so she answered for him. "The boy's name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Leroy Jethro, meet Leroy Jethro**

Jimmy hummed to himself as he carried his shopping bags through the back entrance of NCIS and headed towards autopsy. He loved running errands for Ducky. It gave him an opportunity to get some fresh air when things were slow at work. His presence opened the autopsy doors and he found Ducky sitting at his desk.

"Hi, Dr. Mallard," he greeted with a smile.

"Mr. Palmer, welcome back."

"The Tea Peddler didn't have the first tea on your list so I got the second one," Jimmy said as he pulled it out of one of the bags. "Apparently some health guru did a show on the benefits of that particular tea so they're sold out all over the city."

"I'm always amazed at how many people will blindly follow the advice of anyone who calls themselves a guru, gets on TV and shares their opinion," Ducky said. "Did you get the diapers?"

"I did," Jimmy said. "Am I allowed to ask why we need diapers?"

"You are." Ducky looked up at his assistant and waited for him to ask the question.

"Why do we need diapers, Dr. Mallard?"

"A young boy was abandoned at the main gate this morning. The diapers are for him."

"That's awful," Jimmy said.

"At least he was left here where he would be cared for," Ducky said. "I believe Abby is watching over the boy while Jethro and Tony are out. Why don't you go deliver the diapers and see if she needs any help."

"No problem, Doctor."

Jimmy left Ducky to brew himself a pot of tea and headed off to Abby's lab to deliver the diapers and meet their new guest. When he arrived, he found Abby giving the boy a tour of her lab.

"I heard we had a baby in the house," Jimmy cooed. "He's such a cutie."

"He is, isn't he?" Abby said, poking at the child's belly. "Did you get the diapers?"

"Sure did," Jimmy said.

"Good. He needs to be changed."

"I think that's my cue to leave," Jimmy said as he started for the door.

Abby grabbed onto his arm and yanked him back. "Oh no you don't!"

"Fine, I'll help," Jimmy grumbled.

They spread a blanket out on the evidence table and laid the little boy on it. Despite his kicking and squirming around, they managed to get his shoes and jeans off. He giggled whenever they cooed at him and babbled on and on as if he were trying to tell them something.

"This is very advanced sounding baby babble," Jimmy pointed out.

"I don't think this is baby babble," Abby said as she stepped away to retrieve the trash can. "I betcha his mom could tell us exactly what he's saying." The computer dinged causing Abby to put the garbage can next to Jimmy then turn to face her computer.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be changing this diaper all by myself?" Jimmy asked.

"Jimmy, a little boy was abandoned on our doorstep," Abby said dramatically. "It's up to me to figure out who he is and where he belongs so we can help him!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jimmy grumbled as he got the little boy cleaned up. "What'd you find out?"

"The fingerprint on the note belongs to a Lisa Keenan," Abby answered. "She has a minor drug possession charge but nothing too serious. Let's see if she gave birth to a baby boy."

"Is she in the Navy?" Jimmy asked. He powdered the little boy's bottom then slipped a diaper underneath.

"Nope."

"Then how are you gonna find out if she gave birth? Her medical records are confidential."

"But her tax returns aren't," Abby said with a grin. "That kid is definitely old enough that she would've claimed him on her taxes last year if he was hers."

"Good idea," Jimmy said.

He secured the diaper then lifted the boy into the air and silently cheered when the diaper stayed in place. After getting the child's jeans back on him, he stood the boy on the ground then got everything else cleaned up.

Ducky entered just in time to stop the little guy from pushing Major Mass Spec's buttons. He cleared his throat to get Jimmy's and Abby's attention. "You have to watch children this age closely," he said, taking the boy's hand and leading him away from the machine. "They can get into quite a bit of trouble in not a lot of time."

"Sorry, Doctor," Jimmy said. "We were watching him but then I had to clean up and Abby's got a lead on who he might be and I guess he wandered off."

"They do that too," Ducky replied with a smile. "Do we know his name yet?"

"Working on it," Abby answered as she continued scrolling through the tax records on the screen. "She claimed three dependants last year and…"

"Abby?" Ducky asked when she didn't finish her thought.

Jimmy looked over her shoulder and his eyes bugged out of his head. "Does that say Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh dear."

* * *

Tony sat in the tiny chair at the very low table next to Gibbs at Munchkin Mayhem Daycare Center. They both had more questions than answers but neither knew what to say. How was he supposed to respond to learning that the kid who'd been abandoned on their doorstep shared a name with Gibbs?

"He goes by LJ," Heather said. "Was there a girl with him?"

"A woman dropped him off if that's what you mean," Tony replied.

"Mm-mm," Heather said with a shake of her head. "A little girl. LJ's a triplet. His brother's here but his sister isn't."

"Brother? Sister? Triplet?" Tony asked. He was trying to act natural but it was getting harder and harder. What was going on? He stole a quick peek at Gibbs and realized his boss was just as surprised at the news as he was. "Do they all have the same last name?" He realized after he asked that it was kind of a stupid question. Of course they all had the same last name.

Heather nodded at Tony then looked at Gibbs. "Are you the father?"

"I don't have kids," Gibbs answered, trying to sound confident. He could feel Tony's eyes on him and knew his senior field agent thought the kids were his but surely he wasn't the only one in DC with Gibbs as a surname. Sure, the only other Leroy Jethro he knew was his father's best friend but that didn't mean anything. He might have to make an exception to rule thirty nine; this definitely had to be a coincidence. "What's the mom's name?"

"Lisa Keenan," Heather answered, pointing at the information on the emergency contact card Gibbs was still holding.

_Damn it,_ Gibbs thought. Just when he thought the situation couldn't get any messier. He knew that name. He'd dated Lisa about two and a half years prior. Things had been going great until her mother passed away suddenly. After that Lisa had closed herself off and gone into a deep, dark depression. Gibbs had tried to help her through it but eventually she'd just pushed him away.

"Father's name?" Gibbs asked.

"She never said," Heather answered. "We have a lot of children from single parent homes. Some parents share custody, some kids aren't allowed to see mom or dad and some just never talk about the missing parent. Lisa fell into the last category."

"You know her, Boss?" Tony asked hesitantly.

Gibbs gave a slight nod of his head but despite knowing the children's mother, he was still convinced that the kids weren't his. He and Lisa had shared an intimate relationship but he'd always used protection—_always_. Besides, she wouldn't have his children and not tell him. That wasn't the type of person she was. One thing was for sure though, rule thirty nine was out. There _were_ coincidences and that's what they were dealing with. It was a coincidence that he happened to know the kids' mother and a coincidence that one of the kids shared his name.

"You said LJ has two siblings?" Tony asked. Gibbs may have been denying being related to the kids but Tony knew the likelihood of them not being his was slim to none.

"Yes," Heather answered. "A sister named Sadie Josephine and a brother named Mason Anthony—"

"Hey, one of 'em's named after me too!" Tony said, attempting to break some of the tension.

Gibbs reached around and smacked the back of his head.

"Sorry," Tony said.

Heather called one of the other teachers into the room. "Terri, did Lisa say anything about LJ or Sadie this morning when she dropped Mason off?"

"No," Terri answered. "She was in a hurry and I was trying to get the Michelson girls to stop crying."

"How is she with the kids?" Tony asked.

"From what we can tell, she's a great mom," Terri answered. "The kids love her and she always seems to have it together. The kids are clean and well fed, dressed appropriately for the weather, happy, well adjusted…"

"How old are they?" Tony asked.

"Twenty two months," Heather answered. "I can't imagine why Lisa would abandon LJ."

"There was a man with Lisa this morning," Tony said. "Any idea who he might be?"

"The kids talk about someone named Greg sometimes," Terri said. "At least I think that's what they're saying. It's hard to understand them sometimes."

"When's the last time you saw them?" Gibbs asked.

"Last Thursday," Heather said. "They had a scheduled day off on Friday and Mason's the only one here today."

"We'll need a copy of all the information you have on the kids," Gibbs said. "We're also gonna take Mason with us. If Lisa shows up, call me immediately." He pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to the woman.

"I'll get everything ready," Heather said before she and Terri left.

A few minutes later Terri returned with a little boy that looked a lot like LJ. His hair was a few shades darker and his eyes brown instead of blue but it was obvious they were brothers.

Gibbs stood and took the boy from Terri. "Hi, buddy."

"Hi-yo," the boy said cautiously.

Gibbs studied the child for a moment, searching for any sign of himself in the little boy. He concluded, once again, that the child wasn't his. He couldn't have been. He'd used condoms and Lisa had been on birth control. His only child had died years ago. This boy might share his last name and he may have been intimate with the boy's mother but there was no way it was his son. There was no way he had _three_ babies.

Tony took the paperwork from Heather then the woman helped them get Mason's belongings and they left.

* * *

"You're never gonna believe what happened," Tim grumbled as he entered the lab with Ziva following behind.

"What?" Abby asked, knowing no matter what Tim said it was nothing compared to what had happened at NCIS that morning.

"Who is the child?" Ziva asked.

"Your story first," Abby said.

"We blew a tire on the interstate," Tim said, "and of course it had to be before we dropped Troutman off at DC Metro."

"That sucks," Abby said.

"Yeah, it did," Tim agreed. Suddenly his story was nowhere near as interesting. "Who's the kid?"

"Um, I'm not exactly sure," Abby said hesitantly. "This is either Mason Anthony or, uh, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Come again?" Tim said.

"Did you just say—"

"Uh-huh." Abby muttered.

"Wow. What on earth happened after we left?" Tim asked.

* * *

Tony sat in the backseat of the Charger, holding Mason and quietly listening to Gibbs' phone conversation with D'Arcy. They didn't have a car seat so that was the safest way to travel until they could get one. Gibbs arranged for D'Arcy to meet them at NCIS then hung up the phone and looked at Tony and Mason in the rearview mirror.

"If you have a question, ask," Gibbs said.

"Well, it's just that… you don't think… I mean, is there any way the kids could be, you know, um, related… to you?"

"My only child was murdered," Gibbs replied flatly.

"Got it," Tony said.

The rest of the ride was made in silence except for a small amount of babbling by Mason. Gibbs parked in the NCIS parking garage then they headed inside.

"I'll go find Abby and reunite the brothers," Tony said. He really wanted to talk to her and try to sort some things out.

"DiNozzo."

"Boss?"

"Squad room."

"Yes, Boss."

Tony followed Gibbs to the bullpen and found Tim and Ziva back at their desks. Both of them were clearly uncomfortable and uncharacteristically quiet.

"I take it by the looks on your faces, you two know what's going on," Gibbs said.

"Abby briefed us," Ziva said.

"Good," Gibbs said. "Go over the security footage from the main gate. I want that car found. Tim, look into Lisa Keenan's financial records. See if you can track her down that way." He knew finding the woman would be more than a matter of showing up at her front door.

"On it, Boss," Tim said.

"DiNozzo, get me a search warrant for Lisa Keenan's house and call me when D'Arcy gets here."

"You got it, Boss," Tony said.

Gibbs took Mason from Tony even though it was clear Tony was reluctant to give the boy up. With his team busy trying to track down Lisa Keenan, he headed back towards the elevator.

Tim watched until Gibbs was out of sight then spoke. "Gibbs seems…" he let his sentence trail off, unsure how to finish it.

"Yeah," Tony said.

"Anybody would be if they found out they had three children," Ziva pointed out.

"Boss is insisting they're not his," Tony said. "At this point I don't know if he just doesn't wanna believe it or if they really aren't or what."

"Maybe they are not," Ziva suggested. "I know Gibbs does not believe in coincidences but surely he is not the only person in DC whose last name is Gibbs."

"Yeah, but nobody names their kid Leroy Jethro," Tony pointed out. "Besides, Gibbs knows their mom. That's a few too many coincidences for me."

"But knowing their mother does not mean he slept her," Ziva pointed out. "Perhaps the woman just named the child after him."

"Yeah, I mean, Gibbs couldn't have kids without knowing about it," Tim said.

"Considering he didn't actually give birth to them, it could happen, McGee," Tony said. "Maybe you and Ducky aren't the only ones who fall for the crazy chicks."

* * *

After a productive morning, Abby was enjoying a little playtime with LJ and Bert. The three of them were sitting on the floor in her lab, rolling a playground ball back and forth while her babies built a DNA profile for whoever had licked the envelope. Her most pressing task was trying to figure out how on earth she was going to share what she'd learned with Gibbs. She'd already tried calling him but he hadn't answered and she wasn't in any hurry to break the news to him so she'd given up fairly easily.

"Abs," Gibbs said as he strolled into her lab. Mason squealed when he saw his brother so Gibbs put him down so they could be reunited.

"Gibbs!" Abby squealed, hurrying to her feet.

"What'd you find out?" Gibbs asked.

"Who's that?" Abby asked, pointing at the little boy who'd come in with Gibbs.

"Mason and LJ," Gibbs answered, pointing at the right kid as he said their name. "Whadda you got?"

"So you know?"

Gibbs let out a sigh of frustration. He was supposed to be the one with the questions and Abby the one with the answers. He was fairly certain his entire team thought these were his kids but they weren't and he shouldn't have to explain that to them. "I know Lisa Keenan had triplets. This is Mason Anthony Gibbs and that's Leroy Jethro Gibbs and there's a Sadie Josephine Gibbs out there somewhere that we need to find. Now, what did _you_ find out?"

Abby cringed at the harsh tone. Gibbs usually wasn't harsh with her but under the circumstances she understood. "Not much more than you. The fingerprint on the note matched Lisa Keenan. I'm building a DNA profile for whoever licked the envelope, which was probably her too."

"Okay. I've got the others working on finding Lisa. I need you to help me find Sadie. Start by calling police stations, fire departments and hospitals." His ringing cell phone cut him off. "Gibbs," he said into the receiver.

"_D'Arcy's here," Tony reported. "I put her in the conference room."_

"Did you get the search warrant?" Gibbs asked.

"_Legal's working on it," Tony replied. "I've been assured they'll hand deliver it when it's ready."_

"Good," Gibbs said. "Meet me in the conference room." He hung up his phone and turned back to Abby. "I've got a meeting with D'Arcy. Call me if you find anything."

"What about the boys?" Abby asked.

Gibbs knelt next to the little ones, one of them playing with the ball and the other with Bert. "I'll take them with me." He wrapped his arm around Mason and reached out and rubbed his other hand over LJ's hair.

"He has your eyes," Abby said cautiously.

Gibbs looked up at her and frowned. "He's not mine, Abs," he said.

"Gibbs," Abby whispered.

"No," Gibbs said. After a firm look to silence Abby, he picked up both boys and left.

* * *

Despite the coffee pot in the break room being full, Tony emptied it out and started another one. After spending all morning with Gibbs, he knew how stressed out the man was and was hoping a good cup of coffee would help. He and D'Arcy made small talk while the coffee brewed and they waited for Gibbs to arrive.

"Did they finally give in and get you guys laptops?" Tony asked.

"They did," D'Arcy answered with a bright smile. "I think they finally figured out the information is a lot more secure in a laptop than it is in a folder."

"Makes sense," Tony said. "You can password protect a computer."

"Do I get any clues about what's going on?" D'Arcy asked.

"Kid was abandoned at the front gate of the Navy Yard this morning," Tony replied.

"That's an… interesting place to abandon a child," D'Arcy said.

"That's not the interesting part," Tony replied. "Kid's name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

D'Arcy wasn't quite sure how to react to that information. "Are they related?" she asked.

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Gibbs says no."

"But you're not convinced."

"I don't know," Tony said, looking over at D'Arcy. "I don't know what to think after everything that's happened. Sharing a last name could be classified as a coincidence but Leroy Jethro isn't exactly at the top of any baby name popularity charts."

The door to the conference room opened and Gibbs stepped in holding hands with both boys and moving at their pace. He nodded at D'Arcy who smiled back.

"Made you some coffee, Boss," Tony said, scooping LJ up as Gibbs passed by.

"Thank you," Gibbs said. He didn't think he'd ever been quite so happy about a cup of coffee. After the morning he'd had, he desperately needed one. He lifted Mason into his arms and headed for the coffee pot. "Did Tony brief you, D'Arcy?" he asked as he poured the steaming beverage into a Styrofoam cup.

"I was in the process when you got here," Tony answered before turning back to D'Arcy. "So, anyways, this little guy is LJ and Gibbs is holding Mason. Mason and I share a middle name so, you know, he could be mine."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs growled.

"Sorry, Boss."

"We need your help finding their sister, D'Arcy," Gibbs said as he sat down next to Tony. "LJ was abandoned, Mason was at daycare, we're not sure where the sister is. I'm hoping if she was abandoned somewhere, someone found her and called you guys."

"Let me check," D'Arcy said. "What's her name?"

"Sadie Josephine Gibbs," Tony answered. "They're twenty two month old triplets."

D'Arcy's didn't know what to think about everything she'd been told. She was trying to keep an open mind and at the same time preparing to help Gibbs adjust to being a dad again. Like Tony, she knew the chances of those children not being his was slim to none. Child Services didn't handle very many cases where the woman didn't tell the man about his children and D'Arcy had never handled one personally but she was determined to do everything in her power to help Gibbs and the kids if it came to that. Her working relationship with Gibbs made the situation feel very personal.

"Sadie J. Gibbs," D'Arcy read off the screen. "She's at Washington General Hospital. Looks like she was brought in by ambulance last Friday. She'd had a febrile seizure."

"Is that the one little kids get with high fevers?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. Sadie had a fever of over 103 and she was dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea. The doctor wanted to keep her so they could get her rehydrated and get her fever down. The mom left and never came back. They tried to track her down and when they couldn't, they called us."

"Is Sadie still at the hospital?"

"Yes."

"When the hospital's ready, I want her released into NCIS's custody until we get this mess sorted out," Gibbs said.

"Let me call Tanya and take the case off her hands," D'Arcy said, "then I'll go over to the hospital with you and check on Sadie. Do you want the boys in your custody too?"

"Yeah."

"I'll do the paperwork when we get back from the hospital."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Adding to the Noise **

"Grab your gear," Tony said as he strolled through the bullpen to his desk. Gibbs had tasked his team with searching Lisa Keenan's house while he went to the hospital. Tony seamlessly slipped into his role as senior field agent. It was his job to lead the team in Gibbs' absence and he took that responsibility very seriously.

"Where're we going?" Tim asked as he grabbed his bag.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"Gibbs is with D'Arcy," Tony answered. "He wants us to search Keenan's house."

"Is Abby watching the kids?" Tim asked.

"Yep. Ducky and Palmer are helping. It's a slow day in autopsy."

The group checked their kits, loaded up their gear, gassed the truck up then headed out. Lisa Keenan didn't live in one of the better parts of town but there were worse. The agents assumed it was all she could afford on her budget.

"How is Gibbs?" Ziva asked. Tony had spent all morning with him. She and Tim had barely seen him and both were worried about how everything was affecting him.

"He's Gibbs," Tony answered. "He's fine."

"Tony, it's just us," Tim said. "You don't have to protect him from us."

Tony stopped at the red light and looked over at his coworkers. "He's a little distracted."

"Do you think those could be his kids?" Tim asked quietly. It had been the question circulating NCIS all morning as more and more people found out about the little boy who shared Gibbs' name.

"What do you think, McGee?"

Tim looked back out the front window and didn't answer.

"It would be nice if Keenan was here and we didn't have to chase her all over the city," Tony said as he parked the MCRT truck in front of the house.

"No way is she here," Tim said. "She abandoned her kids for a reason. She's not just gonna sit around and wait to get caught."

The group put their NCIS hats and jackets on then grabbed their gear and headed for the house. After knocking and getting no answer, Tony picked the lock and they quickly entered and cleared the small house. The only one home was a large black Labrador retriever with a patch of white fur on his chest.

"Dash," Tony read from the dog's tags.

"Looks friendly enough," Tim said, obviously intimidated by the dog.

"Relax, McGoo," Tony said, rubbing the dog's head affectionately, "he's not gonna hurt you. Spread out. Let's see what clues they left us."

The group spent over an hour searching the house but didn't turn up much. The closet and dressers in the master bedroom were empty; a sure sign that the adults had no intention of returning. The second bedroom was littered with toys. There were two small mattresses on the floor, both neatly made. Unlike the bare master bedroom, the kids' room looked well lived in.

Tony bagged hairbrushes and toothbrushes in hopes of getting they mystery boyfriend's DNA so they could identify him and grabbed the stack of mail on the kitchen counter. While he was doing that, Tim and Ziva packed a couple bags for the kids and gathered the dog's things. After talking to the neighbors, they got in the truck and headed back towards the Navy Yard.

"I hate neighborhoods like this," Tim said. "The neighbors always refuse to talk to us."

"They do not trust us," Ziva said.

"I know but you'd think any decent human being would be willing to help us help those little kids," Tim said.

"Well, there probably aren't many decent human beings in this neighborhood," Tony pointed out.

* * *

After a quick stop at the store to get three toddler car seats, Gibbs and D'Arcy headed for Washington General Hospital. Gibbs vaguely remembered seeing an old car seat somewhere in storage at NCIS but he didn't have time to search for it. Besides, he needed three.

He and D'Arcy made their way to the Pediatric Wing of the hospital and after checking in they were sent to the waiting room. There wasn't much conversation between them. Gibbs was busy trying to convince himself that there was no way he had three children he'd never met and D'Arcy wasn't quite sure what to say.

They hadn't been waiting long when a woman in a white lab coat made her way over to them. "Agent Gibbs and Ms. McKinna?"

"That's us," D'Arcy said.

"I'm Dr. Maya Thomas, Sadie's doctor. How can I help you?"

"NCIS is investigating the abandonment of one of her brothers," Gibbs explained. "We'll be taking over her case too."

"I'm Child Service's liaison with NCIS so I've taken over the case from Tanya," D'Arcy explained. "How's Sadie doing?"

"Her fever is back down to normal and she's rehydrated but I'd like to keep her one more night," Dr. Thomas said. "She's no longer contagious but she's still feeling pretty yucky and will for the next few days."

"Do you know why she had such a high fever?" Gibbs asked.

"She had a severe case of the flu," Dr. Thomas explained. "As far as we can tell there hasn't been any misconduct or neglect by the parent. It's just what's going around."

"Any idea why her mother never came back?" Gibbs asked.

"I think the seizure really scared her. I tried to explain that it was common in young children and the likelihood of it happening again was slim to none but the mom was really in a panic. She was worried about Sadie dying and worried about the bill. I think she thought we wouldn't treat her daughter if she couldn't pay. I tried to calm her but she had herself pretty worked up. I had a hard time getting a read on her."

"We'll need a copy of Sadie's file when she's released," D'Arcy said.

"Of course."

"Can we see her?" Gibbs asked.

"I'll take you back."

Gibbs and D'Arcy followed Dr. Thomas down a brightly painted hallway. Gibbs could feel his heart rate increasing and his hands turning cool and clammy. Why was he so nervous? He was just going to check on another child who'd been abandoned by her mother. This had nothing to do with him.

_Get a grip,_ he told himself. The little one back at NCIS who shared a name with him was really throwing him off his game. He let D'Arcy enter the room behind the doctor then he stepped in. He immediately noticed that the little girl had the same stunning blue eyes as her brother… and as him. He pushed the thoughts away and focused his attention on the frightened and hurting little girl.

"How are you feeling today, Sadie?" Dr. Thomas asked.

"Mommy," the little girl whined.

"Mommy's not here, sweetheart," Dr. Thomas said. "I'm sorry, but I did bring you some visitors. Agent Gibbs and Ms. D'Arcy came to see you. They're very nice people. I think you'll like them."

"Hi, baby," Gibbs said as he sat in the chair next to the bed so he'd be at her level. When he saw her lip start quivering and tears threaten, he reached out and held her hand. He couldn't imagine what was going through her mind after being left in a hospital with a bunch of strangers, needles and meds and people poking at her constantly.

"There've been a lot of tears," Dr. Thomas said, rubbing her hand over the girl's head.

"You're probably scared, huh?" Gibbs said, talking more to Sadie than the doctor. When the little girl's tears spilled out, Gibbs gently picked her up and cradled her to his chest. She looked exhausted and worn down. He was hoping to be able to provide some measure of comfort and security. "Everything's gonna be okay, sweetheart," he whispered into her hair.

"If you guys don't need anything else, I'll leave you be," Dr. Thomas said.

"I think we're okay," D'Arcy said.

"Just hit the call button if you need anything and someone will be right here," Dr. Thomas said.

"Thank you," Gibbs said.

"Poor thing," D'Arcy said.

Gibbs bit back the negative comments running through his head. He didn't want to badmouth Lisa in front her daughter but he was having a hard time understanding how she could leave the little girl scared and alone. "What do you need to write your reports, D'Arcy?" he asked.

"Tanya already wrote one on Sadie," D'Arcy said. "I should have everything I need to write one up for LJ. All I can do for Mason is get him placed in your custody. The intent is there but it'd be difficult to prove the mother had no intention of returning to pick him up from daycare. I'll contact the daycare and if Lisa never showed up to get him, I'll make a note of that in my report."

"You headed back to NCIS or are you going to your office?"

"NCIS. I'll need a copy of the report about LJ being abandoned to write mine."

"I'm gonna stay with Sadie tonight," Gibbs said. There was no way he was going to let her spend another night in the hospital alone and scared. "Will you take two of the car seats back to NCIS with you?"

"Sure. Do you need anything else?"

"No. Thank you, D'Arcy."

By the time D'Arcy left, Sadie's crying had slowed to whimpers. She was lying in Gibbs' arms with her hand fisted into his shirt, staring up at him through sad eyes and hooded eyelids. She looked like she was going to fall asleep any minute. Gibbs brushed the tears from her cheeks and ran his fingers through her hair as he looked down at her.

He wrapped his big hand around her tiny hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. "Sadie Josephine Gibbs," he whispered.

The girl looked up at him through droopy eyelids and it was like Gibbs was looking into a mirror. Abby was right. LJ did have his eyes. Sadie had them too. Very few people had eyes _that_ blue. For the first time in the quiet room, he was ready to admit to himself that he might be holding his daughter. All the coincidences in the world didn't explain away the fact that he and Lisa Keenan had been in an intimate relationship at the same time the triplets were conceived but he still wasn't quite convinced yet. If he built himself up thinking they were his only to find out they weren't, it'd be like losing a child—three children—all over again.

He pulled out his phone and hit the first speed dial. "DiNozzo," he said softly, "D'Arcy's on her way back to NCIS with two car seats. Take Mason and LJ to my house tonight. There's a toddler bed in the attic. You might have to stop and get some food. Make yourself at home and call me if you have any problems."

"Where will you be, Boss?" Tony asked.

"At the hospital," Gibbs answered, "with Sadie."

* * *

"This feels so wrong, McGee," Tony said as he pulled the hatch that would give them access to Gibbs' attic.

"How so?" Tim asked.

"Just think about all the memories he probably keeps up here," Tony said. "Feels like we're invading his privacy."

"Since when have you ever had a problem with that?" Tim asked with a laugh.

"This is _Gibbs_ we're talking about."

"Yeah, and Gibbs told you to go in his attic and get the toddler bed," Tim said. "It's not snooping if he sent you up there."

Abby and Ziva were at the grocery store with LJ and Mason while Tony and Tim were at Gibbs' house with Dash trying to do a little baby proofing. It might've been easier if they knew anything about baby proofing but they were do the best they could. The first order of business was getting the bed out of the attic. The boys were small enough they could share and considering they only found two mattresses at their house, the kids were obviously used to sharing.

Tony climbed the ladder and poked his head in the attic. It was neat and organized and definitely the cleanest attic he'd ever seen. He climbed the rest of the way up and looked around. The first thing he laid eyes on was Shannon's wedding gown wrapped in a clear plastic case to protect it. He'd seen pictures of the woman and could only imagine how beautiful she looked in the gorgeous gown.

There was a dresser that had obviously belonged to Kelly. It was clear that Gibbs had made it. There were butterflies engraved in the top drawers and flowers in the bottom drawers and it was painted bright, happy colors. The headboard of the bed had matching butterflies and flowers. It was well built and beautiful; perfect for a little girl.

As he explored further he found boxes of clothes, toys and books, all stacked and labeled. He spotted the baby stuff in the back corner of the attic.

"Do you see it?" Tim called from the second floor of the house.

"Yeah," Tony answered. "Aren't you coming up?"

"I figured you could just pass it down to me."

"That'll work."

Getting everything out of the attic was only half the battle. Tim leaned all the parts of the toddler bed up against the stair railing as Tony passed them down then Tony climbed the ladder back to the second floor. Both agents and the dog stood in the hallway, staring at the only closed door in the house. As far as they knew _nobody_ had been in that room since Kelly had died in 1991.

"Are you sure Gibbs said to put the bed in _this_ room?" Tim asked.

"Yeah," Tony answered. "There's already a bed and a bunch of boxes in the master bedroom and he uses the other room for storage. There's a ton of stuff in there."

"Stuff?"

Tony took Tim across the hall with Dash following close behind. The room looked like an overloaded furniture store. There were bookcases, end tables and nightstands, a gorgeous roll-top desk, a rocking chair, a dining room table and chairs, a beautifully engraved coffee table that opened up for extra storage, a bed frame and dresser with matching engravings along with several odds and ends.

"Did Gibbs make all this stuff?" Tim asked.

"McGee, you're looking at the culmination of years of stressful cases, sleepless nights and dealing with us," Tony said.

"Why doesn't he sell it?"

" I dunno. My guess would be because he doesn't care about the money."

"He's gonna have to do something with some of it soon," Tim said. "He can't fit much more in here."

"That'll have to wait till later," Tony said. "We need to get the other room set up before Abby and Ziva get back with the boys."

The two walked back across the hallway and once again paused in front of the closed door. Tony reached out and rested his hand on the doorknob then looked at Tim.

"I'm going in," he said. He turned the knob and pushed the door open and both him and Tim were surprised at what they saw. The walls were bare and white and the room was completely empty.

"This wasn't what I was expecting," Tim said.

"Me neither," Tony said. "I don't know what I was expecting but this isn't it."

"I have an idea," Tim said. "We could move three of the bookcases from the other room in here and stack their clothes and toys in them. That's what we did sometimes after we moved, while we were waiting for our stuff to arrive. The Navy never could seem to get our furniture there on time."

"That's not a bad idea, McGee," Tony said, "and even better, if Gibbs gets pissed at us for it, I can just tell him it was all your idea. What do you think, Dash?"

The dog barked, earning himself a pat on the head.

Tony and Tim spent the next half hour arranging furniture and organizing the things they'd packed at the kids' house. With the exception of not having enough beds, the room turned out pretty nice. They hoped that the kids having some of their belongings would help make the transition easier and that Gibbs wouldn't flip out too much when he found out what they'd done.

* * *

After a less than appetizing dinner from the hospital cafeteria, Gibbs settled into the bed with Sadie cuddled up on his chest and read her a story. Sadie was slowly opening herself up to the care and affection from Gibbs and Gibbs' usual hard exterior had disappeared in the presence of the little one, just like it always did when kids were around. He watched her eyelids start to droop as he continued reading and by the end of the story she was sound asleep.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek and ran his fingers through her hair. She was a cute kid and not just because that's what you said about little ones. As Gibbs studied her, he quickly realized that with the exception of her hair color, she looked nothing like her mother. She actually looked a lot like Kelly had at that age. He made the connection without even thinking and when he realized it, his stomach dropped. Everybody had always said how much Kelly looked like him. If Sadie looked like Kelly that meant she looked like him.

He decided he needed to know for sure. The denying it and the not knowing were driving him crazy. It was time to put an end to all the questions. Well, some of the questions at least. First thing in the morning he'd have Abby compare they kids' DNA with his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Ready or Not**

Gibbs pulled a few strings and got Sadie released from the hospital very early on Tuesday morning. He needed a shower, a shave and a change of clothes so he decided to head to his house instead of going straight to work. That would give him a chance to check on the others as well. He hadn't talked to his team since he'd left for the hospital the previous day.

The car ride to Alexandria lulled Sadie back to sleep. Fear and anxiety had kept her up the past few nights but she seemed to feel comfortable enough with Gibbs to finally let herself start to relax. The little girl was beyond tired. She didn't even stir when Gibbs got her out of her car seat.

Gibbs kissed her forehead as he headed up the walkway towards the door. He'd just started up the steps when the front door opened a crack and Abby squeezed out through the tiny space.

"Gibbs, what're you doing here?" she asked as she pulled the door closed behind her.

"I live here," Gibbs replied. "What's going on in there?"

"Um, nothing much," Abby answered, stealing a nervous glance back at the house. "Tony and Timmy are giving LJ and Mason a bath. Is that Sadie?"

"Uh-huh. Why do I get the feeling you're stalling me?"

Abby gasped and clutched her chest in offense. "Stalling you? Gibbs, I haven't seen you all night! I've missed you and I just wanted to greet you."

"Is there a reason you're not greeting me inside, where it's warm?"

"Nope."

"Then can we go inside?"

Abby turned and looked through the window of the front door again before looking back at Gibbs. "I guess, if you want to," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

She stepped aside and Gibbs gave her a questioning look as he walked by her. He went inside and looked around but didn't see any reason why Abby would be trying to stall him. He laid Sadie down on the couch and covered her up then turned back to Abby.

"I need a favor."

"Anything," Abby said.

Gibbs hesitated, searching for the strength to get the words out of his mouth. "I need you to compare my DNA with the kids'," he said quietly.

Abby smiled sadly at his as she reached out and touched his arm. She knew he'd come around eventually and was glad he didn't need a pep talk or intervention to get him to that point. Those never went well. "I'll do it first thing this morning."

"Thanks." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek then headed upstairs to get cleaned up and changed. When he heard voices and splashing coming from the hall bathroom, he opened the door and poked his head in to investigate. He found two giggling little boys in the tub, two agents dripping wet and a dog.

"Wait, Gibbs, don't go in there!" Abby yelled as she raced up the stairs.

"Too late," Tony muttered.

"Why is there a dog in my bathroom?" Gibbs asked.

"Goggy!" Mason squealed clapping his hands.

"Yeah, doggy," Gibbs said, patting the little boy's head. "Where'd it come from?"

"It's not an it, it's a he and he has a name," Abby said. "Gibbs, meet Dash."

"Okay, what is Dash doing in my bathroom?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, we kinda didn't expect you home this morning so we may have been trying to hide him from you," Abby answered. "We were hoping to be able to break the news to you gently."

"How considerate," Gibbs said.

"We found him when we searched the house," Tony explained. "He's a really cool dog. We couldn't lock him up in doggy jail, Boss."

"He sits and he shakes and plays dead and knows how to come and walk on a leash and all kinds of cool tricks," Abby added. "You're not gonna find a nicer dog than Dash."

"I wasn't looking for a dog, Abs," Gibbs said.

"Aww, just look at this face, Gibbs," Abby whined as she hugged the dog and both of them looked up at Gibbs with sad puppy eyes.

Gibbs closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He'd just added three kids to his household—at least for the time being; why not add a dog to the chaos? "I need a shower," he grumbled.

Abby watched with a smile on her face as Gibbs headed down the hall towards his room. She knew that was a yes in 'Gibbs speak'.

Gibbs backtracked after passing Kelly's old room and looked at the newly decorated space. He hadn't expected the team to get the kids completely moved in overnight. He knew it was good for the kids to be settled and surrounded by their own things but everything was happening so fast. He didn't even know if the kids were his or not yet. He could feel Abby's eyes on him so he turned to face her. "Nice job on the room," he said before disappearing into his bedroom and closing the door.

"Did he just say nice job on the room?" Tim asked.

"I was expecting him to flip out," Tony said.

"I think he's starting to come around," Abby said. "He asked me to compare his DNA with the kids'."

"Oh boy," Tony groaned. "Something tells me we're in for another very long day."

* * *

Gibbs opened his mouth and let Abby take a swab of his inner cheek. While she was labeling it, he sat the triplets on the table in her lab and grabbed another swab.

"Can you open your mouth for me, buddy?" he asked, standing in front of LJ.

The little boy watched Gibbs open and close his mouth a couple times then mimicked him. Gibbs opened LJ's mouth a little wider and carefully rubbed the swab against the inside of his cheek. He took a swab from each child then passed them over to Abby to be labeled. Despite the children being triplets, Gibbs wanted to be absolutely sure about all three of them. He was slightly terrified about what the test results would reveal but he knew he wouldn't have any peace of mind until he found out the truth.

"I'll call you as soon as I know something," Abby said with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs said as he stood the kids on the floor. "Are you guys ready to go? We're gonna hang out upstairs today."

"Bye-bye," LJ said with a wave.

"I think that's your favorite word, huh?" Gibbs asked as he got the boy turned around and pointed towards the door.

"Bye, guys," Abby said.

Gibbs lifted Sadie into his arms and guided the boys towards the elevator. After a short ride, they slowly made their way to the bullpen where Tony, Tim and Ziva were already hard at work at their desks.

"Whadda we got?" he asked as he spread a blanket on the floor next to his desk and unpacked a few of the toys he'd brought along to keep the little ones occupied.

"I checked in with the agents watching Keenan's house," Tony reported. "Nobody's showed up so far. They're not going home, Boss."

"We got a hit on the BOLO for the car," Ziva said. "A 1989 gold, Buick Skylark was sold to Will's Autos and Salvage yesterday afternoon. I am headed over there now."

"Good," Gibbs replied. Finally a break. "Go, and I want the car towed back here for Abby to go over. McGee?"

"Keenan's phone was turned off last month after not paying her bill for the previous four months," Tim said. "She never got it turned back on. Her credit history's a mess. She's been getting new credit cards to pay off the old ones, upping her limits and maxing them out and basically just digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole."

"What's she spending the money on?" Gibbs asked.

"Bills, gas, groceries, stuff for the kids," Tim answered. "As far as I can tell she hasn't been irresponsible with her purchases. It looks like she just got in over her head."

While Gibbs was processing the new information, Tony ducked behind his desk and peeked around the side at the boys who were playing on the floor. Sadie was in Gibbs' arms and looked like she still wasn't feeling very good. "Psst," he whispered.

Mason whipped his head around in Tony's direction and took off towards him. As soon as LJ saw Mason take off, he was on his feet and following his brother over to Tony's desk.

"Up! Up!" Mason said, jumping up and down in front of Tony.

LJ grabbed onto Tony's arm and pulled himself into Tony's lap. Tony scooped Mason up and settled him on his other leg then kissed both boys on the head.

"McGee, take all the information we have on Lisa down to Ducky, get him to build a psychological profile on her," Gibbs instructed. "See if he can give us any insight into why she would abandon the kids or where she might be going, anything."

"On it," Tim replied.

"DiNozzo, if they're avoiding the house they might be looking for somewhere else to bunk. Call local hotels, motels and shelters and see if they've seen 'em. Get their pictures to the airport, bus station, train station, rental car places, anywhere they could get a ride out of town if they decide to run."

"On it, Boss," Tony said.

"I'll be at Safe Haven DC."

"The animal shelter?" Tony asked. "You're not getting rid of Dash, are you?"

"No," Gibbs answered. "Lisa works there, at least she used to."

"What about the kids?" Tony asked. "I could watch 'em."

"I don't know if you need any more distractions, DiNozzo," Gibbs teased.

I can handle it," Tony insisted. "I'll take them to the conference room. They can play while I make my calls and send my faxes."

Gibbs wasn't sure why he was hesitant to leave the kids with Tony. He trusted Tony implicitly and he knew the kids would be okay. It was definitely a better option than taking them with him. He realized he just didn't want to let them out of his sight and that scared him. He was getting way too attached and he still didn't even know if they were his.

"Alright," he finally said. He rubbed his hand over both boys' heads. "You guys are gonna stay here and play with Tony. I'll be back in a little while."

"You go bye-bye?" LJ asked.

"Yep, I'm going bye-bye but I'll be back soon."

"Inna car?" Mason asked.

"Uh-huh, I'm going bye-bye in the car. You guys are gonna play with Tony."

"Yay!" Mason cheered. "Play wis Towy!"

"You wanna stay here with your brothers and play with Tony, Sadie?" Gibbs asked as he rubbed her back.

"No," Sadie whispered before burying her face in Gibbs' shoulder.

"No? Why not?"

"Mommy," she whispered.

"We're looking for Mommy, Baby," Gibbs said. "Do you wanna come with me?" he asked after thinking it over. He'd been to Safe Harbor multiple times when he and Lisa were dating so he already had a rapport with the other workers. There was little chance of the questioning turning ugly. He was also enjoying bonding with the little girl. He was honored that she felt safe with him.

"Yesh," Sadie answered.

"Okay," he said softly as he kissed her forehead. "Sadie's coming with me, the boys are gonna stay here and play with you, Tony."

"Awesome! I've been itching for some quality guy time so I could bond with these little dudes."

"Behave," Gibbs said before leaning down and kissing LJ and Mason on the tops of their heads.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Tony said. "They're good kids."

"I was talking to you, DiNozzo."

* * *

Sadie didn't even bat an eye when she and Gibbs walked into Safe Harbor. Either Lisa had never taken her there or Lisa didn't work there anymore. Gibbs was hoping it was the former. He really needed a clue about where to find the woman.

"Jethro Gibbs, is that you?"

Gibbs turned towards the perky voice and smiled. "Kim," he said wrapping his arm around her and giving her a friendly kiss on the cheek, "it's been a long time."

"Too long," Kim said. "What brings you by? Or did you just miss me?"

"I missed you," Gibbs said, turning on the charm. Sadie wrapped her arms around his leg and hid her face. "You're alright," Gibbs encouraged as he picked her up.

"Is this your little one?" Kim asked.

Gibbs froze at the question. How was he supposed to answer that? 'I don't know' didn't seem like an acceptable response. "This is Lisa's little one," he said. "Does she still work here?"

"She did until this past Friday," Kim answered as she led the way back to her office. "She begged me for a raise and I wanted to give it to her but money's tight and everyone got a raise a couple weeks ago at the beginning of the year and a Christmas bonus the month before that. When I wouldn't give her the raise she asked for an advance on her paycheck—$10,000, but again, I couldn't give it to her."

"Did she say why she needed the money?" Gibbs asked.

"No, but I know she's been struggling to make ends meet ever since the kids were born and that boyfriend of hers isn't helping matters any."

"What do you mean?"

"He blows a lot of their money gambling online. He's convinced he's gonna hit it big and live some big and rich lifestyle."

"What's his name?"

"Gregory Pruitt. What's going on, Jethro?"

"Lisa dropped one of her boys off at the Navy Yard yesterday morning then disappeared." Dropped off sounded better than abandoned. As upset as he was about the situation, he still felt a little compassion for Lisa. From what he'd found out so far, her life hadn't been easy.

Kim's face fell. "What did she say?"

"I didn't see her," Gibbs replied. "She left him with the guard at the main gate."

"Oh no," Kim sighed. "I knew she'd been struggling but I didn't know it was _this_ bad. I've tried to talk to her but she always blows me off, gives me the standard 'everything's fine' answer. I think that dark depression she went into after her mother died is returning."

"Suicidal?"

"I don't think so," Kim said, "but I didn't think she'd leave her kids and fall off the face of the earth either."

"If you hear from her, will you call me?"

"Yeah," Kim answered, "right away."

"One more question. Do you know anything about her dog?"

"Dash," Kim said fondly. "We got Dash from a high kill shelter when he was six months old and that was this past June so he's about a year old now. His owner took wonderful care of him. He was obviously her pride and joy but she ended up taking in her grandson and he's allergic. Lisa had been wanting a dog and she thought Dash would be perfect with the kids. You know how she was—always taking in strays. She missed that when the kids came along, not that she didn't adore those kids."

"So he's a good dog? He's not gonna get rough with the kids or destroy my house."

"He's the best, Jethro," Kim answered.

"Thanks, Kim, for all your help."

"No problem. Don't be a stranger."

* * *

Tony spent the morning making calls and sending faxes all over town. According to the map he was using to keep track of his progress, there weren't many places left for Lisa to hide. When Gibbs called and gave him Gregory Pruitt's name, he sent his picture and information to all the same places. So far no one had confessed to seeing the couple.

While Tony was busy working, Mason and LJ were happily driving their toy cars all around the room. Cabinets and chairs turned into houses and stores and napkins were laid out to be the road. In between phone calls and faxes, Tony would grab a car and join in the fun, chasing them all around their makeshift town. The normally quiet room was filled with car noises and squealing, giggling little boys as they tried to stay one step ahead of Tony.

When the game of chase got old, the boys abandoned their cars and jumped on Tony's back for a horsey ride. Tony was in the middle of snorting and naying when the door opened and he found himself staring at Gibbs' feet.

"Uh, hi, Boss," Tony said as his eyes followed Gibbs' body up to his face.

"Gid up, horse!" Mason ordered.

"If I giddy up I'll run your da—uh—Gibbs over," Tony said, cringing at his near slip up.

"Did you get any work done?" Gibbs asked as he stood Sadie on the floor and lifted the boys off Tony's back.

Tony was surprised by the patience in Gibbs' tone. "Yeah," he answered as he sat down on the floor, "I faxed Keenan and Pruitt's pictures all over town. Nobody's seen 'em yet but if they try to get a room or a ride, we'll know about it."

Gibbs nodded at Tony as he knelt and wrapped his arms around the boys. "How were they?"

Tony watched the affectionate embrace with a smile on his face. "They were great. They're fun kids, Boss."

"Yeah," Gibbs said, "I can see that." He kissed both boys then freed them so they could return to their toy cars.

Tony tugged Sadie closer and settled her in his lap. "I haven't had a chance to hang out with you yet," he said.

Sadie sat stiffly in Tony's lap and kept her eyes on Gibbs. Her brothers may like this guy but she didn't know him and she didn't really like strangers.

"What'd you find out, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Lisa quit her job this past Friday when her boss wouldn't give her a raise or a $10,000 advance on her paycheck," Gibbs answered. "She's been having trouble making ends meet and is possibly depressed. Pruitt's into online gambling."

"Here you guys are," Ziva said as she entered.

"What'd you find out?" Gibbs asked.

"Little Willy confirmed that he bought the car yesterday afternoon and despite his best efforts he could not convince the couple to buy another car from him. Apparently they are heading west and wanting to completely start over. He suspected they needed the money to get out of town."

"Little Willy," Tony repeated with a laugh.

"Why did he think that?" Gibbs asked, smacking the back of Tony's head.

"Because he offered them $300 and they needed $309.22."

"Did he give it to them?"

"He gave them $310."

"DiNozzo—"

"Notifying airlines, train stations and bus depots," Tony said.

"I will see how far $310 can get them," Ziva said as she followed Tony out of the room.

"Alright, kiddos," Gibbs said, "follow me."

Gibbs took the kids out to the bullpen and got them settled with their toys. Sadie once again gravitated towards him, looking like she was ready for a nap. Gibbs wrapped her in his jacket since he hadn't packed any blankets, cradled her in one arm and rocked her gently until fell asleep. With the boys occupied and Sadie sleeping, the agents got back to work.

* * *

Abby was a little surprised by how much their current case was affecting her. Her lab was quiet, it was almost noon and she hadn't even finished her first Caf-Pow yet, there was no dancing around or talking to her babies; it was just somber. She knew her computer was going to ding at any moment and it would be up to her to give Gibbs some of the biggest news of his life. She found herself unable to do anything but sit in her chair and stare at her computer.

"Rawr!"

"Ahh!" Abby wasn't sure if it was LJ's sudden roar or Gibbs' hand on her shoulder that startled her more. She spun around in her chair and glared playfully at both of them. "Are you guys trying to give me a heart attack?"

"It was LJ's idea," Gibbs said with a smirk.

"Yeah, right, like I'm supposed to believe that," Abby said. She cooed at LJ and gave him a big wet kiss on the cheek.

"Anything yet?" Gibbs asked.

Abby shook her head, barely able to make eye contact with Gibbs. She was pretty sure she was just as nervous about the results as he was. It was kind of hard to not get personally involved in the case when she had the responsibility of delivering results that could change Gibbs' life forever. "Should be any—" she was interrupted by her computer dinging three times and three little windows popping up on the screen. "Once again, your timing is impeccable."

Gibbs hugged LJ a little tighter and kissed the tip of his nose. He wasn't sure if he was ready to find out the results yet. He wasn't even sure what he wanted the results to say. The thought of having three kids who'd spent the first two years of their lives without him was unbearable but at the same time he'd gotten really attached. Part of him had settled into the idea of having three little ones and really wanted them to be his. In the end it didn't matter what he wanted. It was all up to the DNA tests.

Abby clicked a sequence of buttons on the computer, looked over the data then turned and faced Gibbs. "They're yours," she said softly. "You are their biological father."

Gibbs looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

"Positive."

She reached out and touched his arm and he smiled weakly at her. How could this have happened? He'd already missed out on so much… three births, three first steps, three first words, three birthdays; he hadn't been there for his kids. He'd failed them. He knew it was irrational but he felt like _some how_ he should've known. Anger and denial was quickly turning to heartbreak.

"I have to go," he said almost in a whisper. "Thanks, Abs."

* * *

Word about Gibbs' children was spreading quickly through NCIS. Juicy gossip spread through the agency quicker than a rumor made its way around the local high school. When Leon Vance caught wind of what might be going on, he immediately left his office in search of Gibbs. He'd long ago given up on calling Gibbs up to his office. He knew if he wanted to see his top agent that he'd have more luck going to find him.

He made his way out to the catwalk and peered down into the squad room to find Gibbs reclined in his desk chair with his legs propped up on his desk. There was a little boy spread out on his legs sleeping and a little girl sleeping on his chest. That was certainly interesting but it didn't make them his kids. Children naturally gravitated to Gibbs.

The director made his way down the stairs and into the bullpen, stopping in front of Gibbs' desk.

"Something I can do for you, Director?" Gibbs asked softly, knowing his voice would echo through his chest and into his daughter's ear.

"Who are the kids?" Vance asked, keeping his voice soft as well.

Gibbs looked up at Vance, his facial expression tight as if he were barely holding it together. "This is Sadie, that's LJ."

"LJ?" Vance asked. Those initials sounded familiar. Was that how the rumor had started?

"Leroy Jethro," Gibbs said.

Vance's eyes widened. That was a helluva coincidence.

"How could I not know, Leon?" Gibbs asked softly… desperately. "For the last twenty two months I've had three kids out there and I didn't have a clue."

"Three?"

"Mason's in the break room with Tony."

Vance wasn't really sure what to say. Gibbs was living out every guy's worst nightmare. In all the time he'd known Gibbs, Vance had never seen him look so devastated. He grabbed the chair from behind Tim's desk, pulled it over in front of Gibbs' desk and sat down. "Start talking," he said, more as a friend than the director.

Gibbs explained his connection to Lisa Keenan, where he'd found each of the children and what his team was doing to locate both Keenan and Pruitt to a quiet and attentive Leon Vance. Vance asked a few questions but mostly just listened.

"Is there anything I can do?" Vance asked once he'd heard the whole story.

"Be patient with me," Gibbs answered with a shrug. His whole world had just been turned upside down. It was going to take him some time to adjust to all the changes.

"Done," Vance replied. "Why don't you take some time off?"

"Maybe," Gibbs said, "after I find Lisa."

LJ started mumbling and stretching on Gibbs' legs. Gibbs reached down and grabbed the back of his pants so he wouldn't roll off onto the floor and the jerking around woke Sadie.

"You need anything else, Leon?" Gibbs asked. It had been nice to have someone to talk to but he needed to change diapers and get the kids a snack.

Vance stood and switched from friend mode back to director mode. "Go home, Gibbs," he said with a trace of gentleness still in his voice. "Your team can handle the case. Take your children and go home."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Building Bridges**

Gibbs looked at the three little faces in his rearview mirror as he turned down his street. His annoyance at Leon for sending him home early had faded and he was starting to see it as more of a gift. Finding Lisa was still in the back of his mind but his team could handle that for the time being while he took advantage of the opportunity to get to know his children.

He'd made a quick stop at the local baby supercenter to pick up a few essentials and ended up leaving with a trunk overflowing with merchandise. He was ready to spend the rest of the afternoon at home with his kids. He freed the kids from their car seats and they followed him like baby ducks to the front door. He tried to turn the knob and nearly walked into the locked front door. All three kids plowed into him and started giggling.

"You guys think that's funny, huh?" Gibbs asked with a smile as he unlocked the door.

"Uh-huh," Mason said with a big grin.

Gibbs tweaked Mason's nose as the boy walked by him and into the house. LJ and Sadie both got a pat on the head then Gibbs entered and closed the door. Shoes and coats were left in a pile in the entryway and the fun was moved to the living room. After getting the kids settled and making sure the living room had been baby proofed enough to leave them for a couple minutes, Gibbs unloaded his purchases from the car.

Booster seats went in the dining room, sippy cups went in the kitchen, the two toddler beds and bedding went in the upstairs bedroom and outlet covers, cupboard and drawer latches and safety gates were piled on the couch. After letting Dash out to relieve himself, Gibbs put outlet covers in all the outlets downstairs and blocked the top and bottom of the staircase with baby gates.

When he heard a commotion in the living room, he checked on the kids and found LJ and Mason rolling around on the floor, trying to wrestle an oversized stuffed football away from each other. Gibbs snuck up on the unsuspecting little ones and snatched the ball away from them before either even knew he was close by.

"Uh-oh," LJ said.

The brothers looked at each other and appeared to silently hatch a plan to get their ball back. They turned towards Gibbs and let out a battle cry as they charged him. Gibbs let the boys tackle him to the floor and rolled around with them before letting them get the ball away from him. They took off and Gibbs chased them around the living room then snatched them both into his arms. The boys squealed and giggled as they were captured and flown through the air. Gibbs put them back on the floor and sat down with them and their game of keep away turned into a game of catch.

Sadie decided she was missing out on all the fun so she grabbed the stuffed giraffe she was playing with a plopped down in Gibbs' lap. Gibbs snatched the ball out of the air just in time to stop it from hitting her in the face. He handed it to Sadie and let her throw it back to the boys and the game continued.

When the game of catch grew old, the kids gravitated towards different toys. Gibbs scooted so his back was against the couch and just watched them. Dash settled in next to him and Gibbs scratched the dog's ears and rubbed his head. Dash returned the favor with a kiss.

"What do you think, boy?" Gibbs asked. "Are you guys gonna be happy here?"

Dash's tail thumped excitedly against the floor as Gibbs talked to him and rubbed his head.

By the looks of the living room, the kids were settling in just fine. The few toys Tony, Tim and Ziva had grabbed from their house were spread out all over the floor. It appeared that being surrounded by their things was all it took for the kids to feel at home. Gibbs wondered if he'd adjust to the changes so easily. There was no question in his mind what needed to happen. Sadie, Mason and LJ were his kids and he wanted them with him. There was no other option, especially after their mother had abandoned them at various locations throughout the city.

He pulled his cell phone off his belt, found D'Arcy's name in his contact list and hit the send button.

"Child Services, D'Arcy McKinna."

"D'Arcy, it's Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, what can I do for you?"

"There've been some developments in the case," Gibbs explained. "I-I need some advice."

"Anything," D'Arcy replied. Her warm smile was evident in her voice. She was always so easy to talk to. Gibbs knew she wasn't judging him for his failure. He also knew he was most likely the only one who perceived him not being there for his kids during the first two years of their lives as a failure.

"I had Abby run a DNA test." He hesitated briefly before continuing. "The triplets are mine, D'Arcy. I'm their dad." He wrapped his arm around Sadie who'd toddled over to him.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi, baby," Gibbs whispered back. He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What do you need from me?" D'Arcy asked. She was ready to help out in any way she could.

"I need to get custody of them," Gibbs said. "What's the best way to do that?"

"It's basically just like a quote, unquote normal child custody suit," D'Arcy answered. "You'll need to hire a lawyer. They'll petition the court on your behalf for temporary placement while they build a case for permanent custody. Temporary placement will be quick and fairly easy. Permanent custody will be a longer, more involved process."

"What're my chances?"

"Good," D'Arcy replied confidently, "very good actually. You're their biological father. You can provide stability and have the financial means to take care of them. You have a support system which is a bonus. It'll take time and patience but I don't see any reason why you wouldn't get them."

"What about their mother abandoning them? Does that guarantee she won't be able to take them away from me?"

"Nothing is ever one hundred percent but it's likely. She may end up with visitation rights somewhere down the road depending on why she abandoned them and what her punishment is. If she left them because she didn't want them, she probably won't find a lenient judge but if she left them because she couldn't afford to take care of them, depending on how responsible she was with her money, she'll probably get visitation rights if that's something she wants. Things can get very complicated, Jethro, and very messy but ultimately judges try to do what's best for the children."

"So the first thing I need to do is get a lawyer?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. I can get you a list of some good ones if you'd like."

"Please. I'll take all the help I can get."

"Are you at work? I can fax it over."

"I'm actually at home," Gibbs answered, "but you can fax it and I'll either have someone bring it over or go get it."

"I have a home visit out your way. I can drop it off if you'd like." Gibbs' house wasn't technically on the way but she knew if she told him the truth he would insist on her not going out of her way.

"That'd be great. Thank you, D'Arcy."

* * *

With the kids settled in front of the TV for the time being, Gibbs searched his kitchen cupboards for something to make for dinner. Thankfully his team had done some grocery shopping for him the previous evening. He lightly seasoned a couple chicken breasts and put them in to bake then put a pot of water on the stove for some noodles. He found a bag of peas in the freezer and got them out. Kelly had loved eating frozen peas, corn and green beans when she was a toddler. He hoped it wouldn't be too hard to get some vegetables into the triplets.

As he grabbed a box of spaghetti noodles out of the cabinet, he felt a small body attach itself to his leg. He looked down to find Mason smiling up at him.

"What's up, buddy?" he asked.

"I wan ice ceam," Mason said.

"Dinner first, kiddo," Gibbs said apologetically as he rubbed his hand over the boy's hair. He didn't even know if he had ice cream.

"Aw nuts," Mason pouted. He turned around and made a scene about returning to the living room.

Gibbs just laughed to himself as he went back to making dinner. He cut the chicken into small enough pieces that the kids wouldn't choke then mixed some butter and parmesan cheese in with the noodles. After dishing out three smaller servings for the triplets and a bigger plate for himself, he got the kids washed up then strapped them into their booster seats at the dining room table.

The kids shoveled their food into their mouths with no questions asked. Sadie picked up her food and held it on her fork until it got to her mouth while the boys both bypassed their silverware and just used their fingers. All three of them cleared their plates without any prompting from Gibbs.

Gibbs cleaned them up with a wet dishcloth then, after dinner was cleaned up, he took the kids upstairs to play while he set up the two toddler beds he'd bought. Everyone would have their own bed to stretch out in from then on.

"Oh noes!" Sadie said.

Gibbs turned around just in time to see her tower of large cardboard blocks come tumbling down. "Uh-oh," he said, smiling at her. While he continued putting the beds together, she got to work rebuilding her tower.

The beds went together easily and Gibbs got the sheets and blankets on quickly. Having three beds in the room didn't leave much room for play but it would have to do until Gibbs could get the furniture cleaned out of the other upstairs bedroom. The kids had the entire living room to play in. With a little rearranging, there would be plenty of space in Gibbs' house for all four of them.

After the room was set up, Gibbs sat down on the floor with his back to the wall to take a quick break. Dash once again laid down next to him and watched over the children. Kim had been right, he was a good dog.

Mason abandoned the Superman action figure he was playing with and rolled towards Gibbs until he crashed into Dash. Dash sat up and the little boy continued rolling until Gibbs' legs stopped him.

"What're you up to, buddy?" Gibbs asked as he rubbed Mason's belly.

"Ice ceam time!" Mason said.

"Let's take a bath first, kiddo," Gibbs said.

"Aw nuts!" Mason said.

The belly rub turned to tickling and Dash retreated to the other side of Gibbs when the small kicking feet got too close for comfort.

"The goggy go bye-bye," Mason said between giggles.

"Mm-hmm," Gibbs hummed.

Mason threw himself over Gibbs' legs and reached out towards the dog. Dash kissed the little boy's hand then sat tall next to Gibbs.

"Good dog," Gibbs praised.

"Eww! Goggy kisses," Mason said with a turned up nose while he wiped the moisture from his hand.

A potent smell told Gibbs that either Dash had some serious gas or one of the kids needed to be changed. A quick diaper check revealed LJ needed to be changed. Gibbs helped the kids clean up their toys then corralled them into the bathroom. He turned the water on in the tub then got LJ cleaned up while Sadie and Mason took their clothes off. He helped them get their diapers off then settled them in the bathtub.

All three little ones easily fit into the tub. Gibbs was glad Shannon had talked him into getting a bigger bathtub when they'd remodeled all those years ago. Kelly had loved being in the water… swimming pools, the ocean, the bathtub, even running through the sprinkler in the backyard. The oversized tub had been a stretch on their tight budget but it had been worth it.

Gibbs wished more than anything that Kelly was still around to enjoy it and that Shannon was there to help him with the kids. Of course if Shannon had been there, the triplets would've never been conceived because he wouldn't have slept with Lisa. How did his life get so complicated?

"Me out," LJ said, trying to stand.

"Not yet, kiddo," Gibbs said as he sat the boy down again. "Let's get you cleaned up first."

"I's wet," LJ complained.

"You're not made of sugar," Gibbs teased. "You won't melt."

LJ hugged Gibbs' arm, hoping he'd be pulled out of the water but he had no such luck. Gibbs leaned over so he could kiss the top of his head then freed his arm and poured a small amount of shampoo in his hand and started rubbing it into LJ's hair. Mason floated the shampoo bottle around in the water and made silly noises while Sadie sat shivering despite being surrounded by warm water.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Gibbs asked. He hated that she was sick.

Sadie nodded her head as she sniffed her nose and Gibbs could hear how congested he was. He rinsed the shampoo out of LJ's hair then dried his hands, grabbed some toilet paper and helped Sadie blow her nose.

"We'll get some more of your medicine in you after your bath, baby," Gibbs said. "That'll help you feel better."

Gibbs finished getting the kids washed up while they splashed and played. He was relieved when Sadie finally stopped shivering and thrilled to get a giggle out of her by making a silly face. He made the mistake of flicking water at the boys and they quickly caught on and started flicking water back until they got impatient and used their hands instead of just their fingers. By the time bath time was over, Gibbs was just as wet at the kids.

He got the kids out of the tub and wrapped them in oversized towels then led them down the hall to their room and dressed them in their pajamas. After changing into a dry t-shirt and some flannel pajama bottoms, he took the kids downstairs for their snack. The tubes of frozen gogurt in the freezer turned out to be the ice cream Mason had been begging for earlier. They slurped it down eagerly and Gibbs gave Sadie another dose of her medicine before taking them back upstairs.

Bedtime turned out to be harder than Gibbs had anticipated. The kids were tired and Gibbs had no doubt they'd fall asleep but he wasn't ready to say goodnight and leave them. When had he turned into a sentimental fool? He tucked the kids in and sang them a song his mother used to sing to him then gave them each a kiss and left them to sleep.

On the other side of their room, he slid down the wall to the floor and stared blankly into space. This was it. There was no more walking around in disbelief. There were three little ones on the other side of the wall relying on him. He was a dad again. He had almost two years of hugs and kisses to make up for and he couldn't wait to get started.

Dash walked by him and pawed his way into the kids' room. Gibbs stood and watched as the dog sniffed the kids until he found Sadie and curled up in bed with her. He pulled the door most of the way closed again then headed downstairs. He had a phone call to make.

* * *

Jackson Gibbs had just pulled an apple pie out of the oven when his telephone rang. He picked a small chunk of the crust off and popped it into his mouth as he grabbed the cordless phone from the wall mount.

"Hello."

"Hi, Dad," Gibbs said.

"Leroy, I just pulled an apple pie outta the oven. Used your mother's recipe. Don't suppose you're on your way here?"

"No, I'm at home," Gibbs replied.

"You sound troubled," Jack said. "What's bothering you?"

"Dad, I, um… do you remember… uh—"

"Just tell me, Leroy."

"I have three kids," Gibbs blurted out. "Found out earlier today."

"Biological kids?" Jack asked. He knew how much his son loved children. Gibbs would love any little one as his own.

"Yeah."

"So I'm gonna have grandkids?"

Gibbs could hear the smile in his dad's voice and it made him smile. "Uh-huh."

"When are they due?"

"They were born in March… two years ago."

"They were—what?" Jack asked. "Why didn't you tell me you had kids?"

"Dad, I just found out today," Gibbs said. He knew it was a lot to take in but he was starting to get frustrated. He was actually more frustrated at the situation than he was at his dad. He reminded himself not to take it out on his dad. The last thing he wanted to do was start a fight.

"Tell me what happened," Jack said.

"I was dating a really nice woman a couple years ago. Things were going well until she lost her mother. I tried to be there for her but eventually she just pushed me out. She showed up at the main gate of the Navy Yard this past Monday and left a little boy with the guard. He's one of three, triplets, and he's mine."

Jack stared at the piping hot pie on the counter and suddenly wasn't feeling very hungry anymore. He felt more mad than anything. "Are you telling me this woman had your kids and didn't tell you for two years?"

"To be honest, Dad, I'm not sure what happened," Gibbs said. "We were intimate but we were safe. I had no idea she was pregnant."

"Maybe she was sleeping around," Jack said. "She might not've known they were yours."

"I think she knew," Gibbs said. "She dropped them off somewhere she knew I'd find them and she named one of the boys after me."

"Wow," Jack said in disbelief. "Are you okay? How do you feel about all this?"

"It's a shock," Gibbs admitted. "I wish I'd know, wish I could've been there for 'em."

"You can start now," Jack said. "Are they there with you?"

Gibbs told his dad the story of where he'd found the kids and about their mother being missing. He answered his dad's questions about what he was going to do next and told him what little he'd learned about the children so far. After a little small talk and catching up, they ended the call with promises to talk again soon.

As soon as Jack hung up with Gibbs, he pulled out his directory, found Abby's phone number and called her.

"Jack, what's up?"

"I'm a grandpa!" Jack said cheerfully.

"And you have some really super grandkids," Abby replied with a smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Jack said. "That's actually the reason I was calling. I want to surprise Leroy."

"What do you need from me?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: One Piece of the Puzzle**

Gregory Pruitt couldn't believe his luck. In the last week he'd seen his picture on the 5:00 news reporting he was wanted for child abandonment, lost over $2,800 gambling online, lost his home and his girlfriend, been picked up for buying pot from an undercover Metro cop and now he was sitting in the dimly lit interrogation room of some government agency he'd never heard of before.

He had no idea what time it was or how long he'd been in the small room. He'd spent a few hours at DC Metro after they'd arrested him shortly before 2:00 in the morning then he was shuttled over to NCIS. He'd been offered breakfast so he was assuming it was after 6:00 but he couldn't be sure. He wondered how long he'd be kept waiting. Surely they couldn't hold him for trying to buy a small amount of pot and Lisa had been the one who'd chosen to abandon her kids. He hadn't had any part in that decision.

Gregory bounced his leg and tapped his fingers on the table before standing and walking over to the mirror. He peered through the glass, trying to see through to the other side even though he knew he'd never be able to.

Tony stared their suspect right in the eye from the other side of the glass, knowing the guy couldn't see him. He didn't look like a bad guy, per say. His beard was a little overgrown. A shave probably would've made him look several years younger but he didn't look or act scary. He wasn't overweight and had the classic blonde hair, blue eyes combination that a lot of ladies seemed to go for.

The door to the observation room opened behind him and Tony didn't need to turn around to know Gibbs was standing behind him.

"He declined breakfast," Tony said softly. "He's starting to get antsy but he seems more annoyed or maybe frustrated than worried. I'm not sure how much he's gonna be able to tell us."

"I'd be happy if he could just tell us where Lisa is," Gibbs said. He didn't have much leverage to use to get the man to talk. Pruitt was only looking at a fine and up to twelve months in jail for the child abandonment charges but it'd be difficult to get it to stick. He wasn't related to the children and technically Lisa was the one who'd dropped LJ off at the main gate, Mason off at daycare and left Sadie in the hospital. When all was said and done he'd probably just end up with a fine for the small amount of pot he'd purchased.

Gibbs made his way to the room on the other side of the glass while Tony continued watching.

"Finally," Pruitt said. He sounded more relieved than disrespectful which caught Gibbs' attention.

"Do you know why you're here?" Gibbs asked as he sat down.

"Yeah, I tried to buy pot from an undercover cop," Pruitt grumbled. "I'm a dumbass. Gimme a ticket, I'll pay the fine and we can all go home."

Gibbs pulled Lisa's DMV photo out of the folder he'd brought in with him and laid it on the table in front of Gregory.

"That's Lisa… Lisa Keenan," Pruitt said. "She was my girlfriend."

"Was?" Gibbs asked.

"We parted ways yesterday," Pruitt explained. He didn't sound at all happy about what had happened. "After we dropped the kids off, we sold our car to a dealership. The plan was to use the money we got from the car to go to Vegas but Lisa decided she didn't want to go."

"Where is Lisa?" Gibbs asked.

"Dunno," Pruitt answered. "We went our separate ways yesterday morning after she told me she wasn't leaving town and I haven't seen her since."

"Where'd you see her last?"

"At the soup kitchen on Oak and 18th Avenue. We had breakfast."

"Why leave town?" Gibbs asked.

Pruitt shrugged. "We knew we couldn't go home after we left the kids and we knew the cops would be looking for our car. We just decided to start over and since gambling's kind of a hobby of mine and Vegas is known for its casinos we decided to head west."

"Why did you guys abandon the kids?" Gibbs asked with narrowed eyes.

"That was all Lisa's idea, man. I had _nothing_ to do with it. Look, I know I shouldn'ta gone along with it but she left them somewhere safe so I didn't say anything. I mean, what was I gonna do, call one police station and say she left her kid at some military police station?"

Gibbs had no idea how Pruitt could mistake a tiny guard shack for a police station but he decided not to argue with the guy. He knew he wasn't going to get any useful information out of him and he had other things he needed to do. He tucked the papers back into the folder then stood and left without another word.

Tony stepped out into the hall to talk to him. "You believe his story?"

"Mm-hmm," Gibbs grunted.

"I do too," Tony said. "Want me to get Ziva and go check out the soup kitchen?"

"Have Ziva get Dorneget and take Pruitt back over to Metro," Gibbs said. "You and I will check out the soup kitchen."

* * *

Tim and Jimmy stared at the little ones gathered around the dining room table eating dry cheerios and cut up bananas. Gibbs had called them early that morning and asked them to babysit while he dealt with Pruitt and they'd jumped at the chance. When they'd arrived that morning, the kids were sitting on the couch, staring at the cartoons on TV like little zombies but it wasn't long before the zombies woke up and not only were they quick on their feet, they each had their own agenda. Between changing dirty diapers, running up and down the stairs multiple times to fill requests for books and toys and trying to keep all the kids corralled in the same room, Tim and Jimmy were ready for a nap and it wasn't even 9:00 yet.

"There's only three of them," Jimmy said. "It's three against two."

"Technically it's four against two if you count Dash," Tim said.

"Mmm, I'm pretty sure Dash is on our side."

The dog pranced into the dining room with his bowl in his mouth, sat down in front of the two men and started whining. Tim took the dog's bowl and headed into the kitchen to fill it. Not long after he returned, LJ decided he was finished eating and started banging his bowl against the table.

"Uh-oh," he said as he watched the cheerios scatter everywhere.

Mason giggled at the mess while Sadie did her best to keep the cheerios from rolling onto the floor. Dash took a break from his breakfast to clean up the cheerios on the floor while Tim and Jimmy got the table cleaned up.

"Told you Dash was on our side," Jimmy said.

"So it's three against three," Tim said. "We might have a chance."

"As long as we have them fed and dressed by the time Agent Gibbs gets home, I'll be happy," Jimmy said. "I don't wanna look like a complete idiot. Did he say when he'd be back?"

"He said he had an errand to run after he interrogated Pruitt," Tim said. "He'll be home sometime after that."

Once LJ's mess had been cleaned up, Jimmy took him upstairs to get him dressed while Tim stayed downstairs with Mason and Sadie so they could finish eating. The longer Jimmy and LJ were gone, the more worried Tim was getting. How long did it take to change a little kid? When Mason and Sadie were finished eating, Tim took them upstairs to get them changed and to check on Jimmy and LJ.

"Everything okay up here, Palmer?"

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't abandon you!" Jimmy said. He was sloppily folding shirts and shoving them into the bookcase by LJ's bed that was acting as a makeshift dresser. "I made the mistake of telling LJ to pick out a shirt and he had to look at all of them before he could choose."

"Well now I know what not to do," Tim said with a laugh.

They worked together to get Mason and Sadie dressed and finish cleaning up LJ's clothes. The kids scattered out and grabbed what few toys were left in their room while Tim and Jimmy took a moment to catch their breath. However, their break didn't last long before the boys started jumping on their beds.

"Aren't you guys ready for a nap?" Tim asked.

* * *

After shaking hands with the slightly older, redheaded lawyer, Gibbs sat down in the fancy chair in front of her ridiculously large desk. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," he said as he smoothed out his sport jacket.

"Any friend of D'Arcy's is a friend of mine," Audrey Lake said. "You came highly recommended."

"So did you," Gibbs said with a friendly smile.

Audrey's services were in such high demand that she could no longer take on everyone as a client but D'Arcy had set up a meeting between the very successful lawyer and Gibbs. Audrey was the best lawyer in the DC area and Gibbs insisted on having the best.

"I've looked over the files D'Arcy sent me and the police reports your office sent over," Audrey said. "Your case is a slam dunk, Agent Gibbs. We'll write up a custody plan and file for temporary custody first thing tomorrow morning. You will need to be present but it'll take less than a half an hour."

"Do I need to bring the kids?"

"No."

"Alright, what's next?"

"Once we have the temporary custody order in place we'll work on getting you permanent custody," Audrey answered. "With their mother's pending charges, she really has no leverage to fight us."

Gibbs liked the lawyer's confidence but he really hoped she could deliver. It may be just another case to her but everything was on the line for him. These were his kids they were talking about and he would do anything necessary to keep them with him. "What do you need from me?"

"We need to write up a custody plan and prep you for tomorrow. Let's get started."

* * *

After spending the morning interrogating Pruitt, making what turned out to be a pointless trip to the soup kitchen (the volunteers there saw so many people on a daily basis, they didn't even remember the couple), and talking to his lawyer, Gibbs was looking forward to being home. There was a lot that needed to be done: clear out the third bedroom upstairs so he could get the kids into separate rooms, figure out if he wanted to hire a nanny or put the kids in daycare while he was at work, install cupboard and drawer locks, dig some of Kelly's books and toys out of the attic so the kids would have more to play with, figure out something for dinner and, most importantly, hug and kiss his kids.

When he got home, Tim and Jimmy had already fed the kids lunch and were just finishing getting them washed up.

"Look, guys, Daddy's home!" Jimmy said as all three kids charged Gibbs.

Tim shot a nervous glance at Jimmy before looking back at Gibbs but Gibbs seemed to be too busy passing out hugs and kisses to care about the 'daddy' remark.

"How were they?"

"Busy," Tim answered. "We got them nice and tired for their nap."

"Thank you," Gibbs said.

"No problem. Did you want us to stay and help you get them down for their naps?" Tim asked.

"I think I can handle it," Gibbs said.

He and the kids said goodbye to Tim and Jimmy then they headed upstairs. Gibbs tucked the kids into bed and gave them each a kiss. After kissing LJ, before he could leave, the little boy grabbed onto his finger and stopped him from going.

"What's up, kiddo?" Gibbs asked quietly as he knelt next to his son's bed.

"Daddy?" LJ asked. He'd heard Jimmy's 'daddy' comment earlier and he was curious.

Gibbs sat down on the floor and brushed his fingers through his son's hair. The kids were just starting to speak in decipherable sentences and Gibbs was still learning to decipher them. He was assuming LJ was asking him if he was daddy. He'd known the question was coming and was excited for the kids to start calling him daddy but he hadn't expected it so soon and didn't want to force them into anything. He knew why he hadn't been around for the first two years of their lives but they didn't know and there really wasn't an easy way to explain it to them. He also wasn't going to lie to them. "I'm daddy," he said, "and I'm so glad I found you guys."

LJ climbed out of his bed and crawled into his daddy's lap. He made himself comfortable then stared up at Gibbs for a moment before reaching out and touching his face. Gibbs smiled down at the boy and LJ smiled back. He wondered briefly if the kids could feel the same connection to him as he felt to them. He held his boy tightly against his chest and kissed his cheek.

"Close your eyes, little man," he whispered. He had things to do, some of which needed to be accomplished while his little ones slept, but his most pressing task at the moment was bonding with his son.

* * *

Jackson Gibbs watched out the window of the train as the vast countryside and beautiful landscapes turned into big buildings and familiar landmarks that told him he'd reached his destination. He'd enjoyed the time to gather his thoughts while he finished the crossword puzzle from the previous Sunday's newspaper. He was still in shock over the news his son had delivered and hoped his visit wouldn't be seen as an intrusion.

The train came to a stop and the conductor welcomed everyone to the nation's capitol. Jack retrieved his bags and waited his turn to get off the train. He was immediately greeted by an overly excited Goth welcoming him with a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Abby squealed.

"Any excuse to see you," Jack said.

"Charming, as always," Abby commented, "but you're here to see your grandkids, not me."

"I'm here to spend time with all of you," Jack said as they headed for the exit. Gibbs' team had become family to him after the case that had taken them to Stillwater. Jack loved them as much as Gibbs did but had a much different way of showing it. "How is he? How's my son handling all this?"

"He's a little frazzled which is weird because we never see him like that but he's Gibbs. He can handle anything that's thrown at him. He's like a superhero!"

Jack smiled at Abby's assessment. He loved the way her mind worked.

They spent the drive to Gibbs' house catching up on each other's lives and doing a little gossiping. The two spoke on the phone often but never ran out of things to talk about. Abby parked in Gibbs' driveway then helped Jack get his bags out of her trunk.

"Say hi to Gibbs for me," Abby said with a smile.

"You're not coming in?" Jack asked. "What did he do? I may be older but I can still take him down if I need to."

"He didn't do anything," Abby answered with a giggle. "We're trying to give him some time to bond with the kids. We don't want to get in the way of them getting to know their daddy." It was difficult to stay away, especially when she wasn't getting frequent visits all day long but they felt like they were doing the right thing.

"I'm sure Leroy appreciates that," Jack said, making a mental note to plan a get together. "Thanks for the ride, darlin'."

"Anything for you, Jack. You guys call if you need anything."

"We will."

Jack gave her a hug and kissed her cheek then Abby got back in her car and disappeared down the street while Jack headed into the house. He put his bags down in the entryway before stepping into the living room where Gibbs was sitting on the floor, surrounded by the kids.

"Hi Leroy."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**** Midnight Rendezvous **

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Gibbs asked as he stood from his spot on the living room floor. He was honestly happy to see the man. He may not have been ready to admit it yet but he needed help not only with the kids but with wrapping his head around everything that had been thrown at him. Seeing his dad standing there, ready to lend a hand was a big relief. He was thankful for the support and the extra set of hands.

"You can't tell me I have grandkids and expect me not to come," Jack said.

"I'm glad you're here."

"Who dat is?" Mason asked as he tugged on Gibbs' pant leg.

"This is Grandpa," Gibbs answered. "Can you say hi?"

"Hi," Mason greeted with a smile and a wave.

"Well hello there," Jack said. "And what's your name?"

"Mason."

"This Mason Anthony, that's Sadie Josephine and Leroy Jethro over there goes by LJ," Gibb said.

"Those are some fine names for some fine looking kids," Jack said.

"Have a seat, Dad, make yourself at home," Gibbs said. "I'll get you some coffee."

Sadie followed Gibbs into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around his leg while he was pouring coffee into two cups, one for his father and one for himself.

"Hey, sweet pea," Gibbs said resting his hand on her head. "Are you being shy?" It hadn't taken long to figure out that Sadie didn't like strangers. "Grandpa's really nice. You'll like him and I know he loves you already." He winked at her as he picked up both cups of coffee.

Sadie followed Gibbs back out into the living room, keeping him between her and their visitor. Gibbs put both cups of coffee on the coffee table then sat down at the other end of the couch and pulled Sadie into his lap.

"Can you say hi to Grandpa?" he whispered loud enough his dad could hear him.

"Hi-yo," Sadie said before blushing and burying her face in Gibbs' shoulder.

"She's my shy one," Gibbs said before kissing the top of her head. "Hey, LJ, come here and say hi to Grandpa."

LJ looked up from the three piece puzzle he was on the brink of solving and realized for the first time that they had a visitor. "Bye-bye," he said.

"He always says bye instead of hi," Gibbs explained when his dad gave him a questioning look.

"Ahh," Jack said. "And when did you get the dog?"

"That's Dash. He's the kids' dog."

"Every kid should have a dog," Jack said. "Do you remember Trigger?"

"Yeah," Gibbs answered fondly. "I loved that dog."

Mason giggled as his grandpa tickled his feet. He was stretched out across the middle cushion of the couch touching, touching, poking and playing with everything he could reach.

"Who's watching the store?" Gibbs asked. He stretched his leg out on the couch and used it to keep Mason from rolling off onto the floor while Grandpa played with him.

"Kathryn James," Jack answered. "Remember her? She was a little younger than you."

"Harold's daughter?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. She moved back to Stillwater last year to take care of him. After he died she couldn't bear to sell the family home so she stayed but money's been tight. She's been helping me out some. I'm hoping this'll give her a chance to catch up on some of her bills at least."

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"A week, or two, or maybe more," Jack answered with a smile and a shrug. "As long as I'm needed."

Gibbs just smiled and nodded.

* * *

When Gibbs tried to roll out of bed the following morning, he realized he wasn't alone. Someone was on top of him. He sat up and peeked down towards the foot of the bed and found LJ sprawled out on top of his legs, sound asleep. Gibbs smiled as he got up and moved his boy up to the warm spot he'd just vacated. He covered him up before heading into the bathroom to get ready. He had to be at the courthouse at 9:15 sharp and since his dad was in town to stay with the kids, he wanted to stop by NCIS and check on his team's progress. They really needed to find Lisa.

He showered and shaved in no time at all then dressed in one of his nicer suits. When he looked towards his bed, he realized his son was awake and watching him.

"Mornin', Son."

LJ's vibrant blue eyes twinkled in the early morning sunlight and one corner of his mouth curved up into a smile when his daddy acknowledged him.

Gibbs smiled back at his son as he playfully pinched his cheek. "Let's get your diaper changed then we'll go downstairs and see if Grandpa's awake yet."

LJ talked nonstop while Gibbs changed his diaper but Gibbs had a difficult time understanding most of what he was saying. Once the boy was clean and dry, they checked on Mason and Sadie before heading downstairs. Gibbs knew his dad was awake because he could smell the freshly brewed pot of coffee. That was another perk of having his father in town; there was always coffee waiting for him when he got up in the morning.

"Mornin' Dad," he greeted as he opened the backdoor to let Dash out.

"Mornin' Leroy. Good morning, LJ."

"Was da?" LJ asked pointing at Jack's cup.

"That's coffee," Jack answered. "Would you like something to drink? I spotted some chocolate milk in the fridge earlier."

"Yah," LJ said.

"Are the other two still asleep?" Jack asked as he poured some chocolate milk into a sippy cup for LJ.

"Yep," Gibbs answered. "I'll get 'em up and changed before I leave."

"I can help with that," Jack offered. "I didn't come to watch you do all the work."

"I have a feeling the kids are gonna keep you plenty busy this morning," Gibbs replied. He let Dash in, poured himself a cup of coffee then joined his father and son at the table.

"That's fine by me."

LJ was propped up in his booster seat with both hands wrapped around his cup of chocolate milk, looking back and forth between the two adults and imitating them. Jack slid the section of the newspaper with the comics on the back page over to the little boy and he was immediately interested in the fun pictures.

"I was thinking we could have a get together with your team while I'm here," Jack said.

"That'd be fine." Gibbs knew how much his dad loved his team.

"Did you realize they've been staying away to give you time to bond with the kids?"

"I didn't ask them to do that."

"I know," Jack said. "They're just trying to help the best way they know how. Sometimes you've got to open your mouth and tell people what you need, Son."

"I don't know what I need yet," Gibbs replied defensively.

"I know," Jack said, holding his hands up to try to calm his son before he got all riled up. The last thing he wanted to do was start an argument. "I'm just trying to remind you, you have a wonderful team and all of 'em are willing to help if you just say the word."

Gibbs nodded around another sip of his coffee. "If you think you'll be okay here with the kids, I was thinking about stopping by NCIS after court."

"I'm sure we'll be just fine," Jack said confidently.

"I'll talk to them then."

"Me too," LJ said, his little face every bit as serious as Gibbs' and Jack's.

"You too, huh?" Gibbs asked as he poked his son's arm.

"Yes," LJ said, squirming and giggling at the tickle fingers that were suddenly coming at him from both directions.

The guys finished their drinks then Jack took LJ into the living room to find some cartoons on TV while Gibbs headed upstairs to get Sadie and Mason up. After hugs and kisses were passed out and diapers were changed, the three of them went back downstairs. Gibbs got the little ones situated on the couch with his dad then passed out more hugs and kisses before putting his shoes and suit jacket on. LJ popped off the couch and started putting his shoes on as well.

"What're you doin', buddy?"

"Me go," LJ said.

"Not this time, son," Gibbs said. "You'll have a lot more fun here with Grandpa."

"But Daddy!" LJ whined.

Gibbs scooped his son up and buried his face in the boy's shoulder. How could he love this kid, all three kids, so much when he'd only met them days earlier? "I'll be back real soon, LJ, and we'll spend the rest of the day together. I promise."

LJ puffed his lip out and did his best to look pathetic. As much as Gibbs wanted to cave and take the boy with him, he knew he'd be better off at home. He sat him down on the couch again and passed out one more round of kisses.

"Call if you have any problems, Dad, and if I don't answer call the team."

"Don't worry about us, Leroy, we'll be fine. You just do what you need to do."

Gibbs smiled at the group and waved. "Bye, guys. I love you."

He hurried out to his car and raced off towards the city, hoping rush hour traffic wouldn't slow him down too much.

* * *

Court turned out to be as no-nonsense as Gibbs' lawyer had told him it would be. The judge's decision to grant him temporary custody was an easy one and he was in and out of there in no time at all. He could only hope the custody hearing went just as well.

He checked in with his dad on the drive to NCIS and was happy to hear things were going well at home too. Jack had whipped up one of Gibbs' boyhood favorites, breakfast on a stick (which was nothing more than a sausage link on a stick, dipped in pancake batter and cooked to perfection) and he reported that the kids seemed to like it just as much as their daddy did.

"I'll be home soon," Gibbs said. "Don't let the kids do anything cute while I'm gone."

"I'll do my best," Jack said with a chuckle.

Gibbs parked in his spot at NCIS and took the elevator up to the bullpen. His team at least looked like they working, although he suspected they were playing just as much as they were working. He didn't mind the fun and games as long as they got their work done too and they rarely seemed to have a problem doing both.

"Boss," Tony said when Gibbs strolled by. He stopped himself from asking the man what he was doing there. "That's a nice suit."

"What do we got?" Gibbs asked.

"Unfortunately nothing more than we had yesterday," Tony said. "I staked out the soup kitchen they had breakfast at but Lisa never showed up."

"You sure she wasn't there?"

"I was serving the bacon," Tony replied. "She wasn't there. _Nobody_ passes up bacon, Boss."

"Still no financial trail or cell phone to trace either," Tim added.

"I have been running down the tips coming in from the shelters we sent her picture to," Ziva said. "A couple people thought they saw her but it turned out to be nothing."

"We could put her on the 5:00 news," Tony suggested. "If she's laying low, she probably won't see it and if she does try to run all the bus stations, train stations and airports in the area are watching for her."

Gibbs thought it over before nodding his head. "Do it."

"I thought I sent you home," Vance said as he peered over from the stairs.

"Tell the news station we think Lisa may have unknowingly witnessed a crime," Gibbs told Tony as Vance made his way down the stairs and into the bullpen. "I was just checking in, Director."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away," Vance said. "How're the kids?"

"They seem to be settling in," Gibbs answered. "My dad's with them right now."

"Nice suit."

"I had court this morning. Temporary custody."

"How'd that go?"

"Fine."

"Go home, Gibbs," Vance urged. "Your team knows your cell phone number if they get anything concrete."

Gibbs made eye contact with each member of his team and each of them knew exactly what the look meant. They got back to work and Gibbs headed for the elevator but instead of taking it to the ground floor to leave, he went down to autopsy to talk to Ducky.

"Jethro, I wasn't expecting to see you today," Ducky said. He took one look at the man and knew Gibbs needed to talk. "Mr. Palmer, would you please take these samples up to Abby? While you're up there maybe you two can put your heads together and figure out what kind of weapon killed our Lance Corporal."

"Certainly, Doctor."

"What's on your mind, Jethro?" Ducky asked once they were alone.

"I'm kinda feelin' outta my league here, Duck."

"That's to be expected. Most couples make the decision to have a child together and have nine months to prepare for the arrival of their little one. You were thrown into parenthood without any say in the matter or opportunity for preparation."

"LJ asked me if I was their dad yesterday. At least I think that's what he was asking. They're still in the 'difficult to understand' stage."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I was," Gibbs answered with a shrug, "and when my dad got into town last night I introduced him as grandpa."

"I think you did the right thing," Ducky replied. "You don't want to lie to them. I don't see any harm in referring to yourself as dad and your father as grandpa. The children are right on the verge of being able to ask questions. Just try to speak on their level and answer as honestly as you can. I realize it's intimidating because they're your children but just trust your gut, Jethro. It's never led you astray before."

"I just don't wanna mess up," Gibbs said.

"You will mess up at some point or another but children are very forgiving. Give them plenty of affection, say no when you need to and yes when you can and they'll turn out just fine and when you're ready to pull your hair out remember you have quite a few willing souls ready to babysit at a moment's notice."

"Thanks, Duck."

* * *

After a long, busy afternoon of keeping three young children entertained while trying to clean out a bedroom packed full of hand carved furniture, everyone in the house was asleep. Bellies were full and the little ones had been bathed. Bedtime stories had been read and father and son had had an opportunity for some quiet conversation before resting their heads on their pillows and drifting off.

Gibbs knew from past experiences with Kelly that his night would be short but had no idea just how short it would actually be. His ringing phone woke him long before he'd planned on getting up. He tried to roll over and quickly realized one of the little ones, probably LJ, was sprawled out on top of his legs again. He ignored his bunkmate for the moment and grabbed his phone off the nightstand.

"Gibbs," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes. He could hear soft breathing on the other end of the phone but whoever it was remained silent. "Hello?"

"Jethro."

That one word was all it took for Gibbs to go from groggy to wide awake. "Lisa, is that you?"

"I'm surprised you remember my voice after all these years." A quiet, uncomfortable laugh followed the words.

"Where are you?"

"Do you have the kids?" Lisa asked, ignoring Gibbs' question.

"Yeah, they're with me," Gibbs answered. "Let me come pick you up, Lisa. We really need to talk."

"I didn't want to leave them," Lisa explained.

"I know," Gibbs said. He would've said just about anything to talk her into a meeting. He really didn't want to have this conversation over the phone.

"Sorry about calling so late. I couldn't sleep because of the cold and my mind just wouldn't turn off and before I knew it, I was at a payphone, dialing your number."

"I'm glad you called," Gibbs said. "Please let me come get you. I'll take you somewhere warm and get you something to eat."

There was more silence as Lisa contemplated the offer. "Okay," she finally said.

Lisa told Gibbs where to find her then he reluctantly hung up the phone. He could only hope she'd still be there when he arrived. He wiggled out from under LJ, threw on the clothes he'd worn the previous day then put LJ back in his own bed before hurrying downstairs. After waking his dad enough to tell him he was leaving, Gibbs got in his car and raced off towards the city.

He found Lisa sitting in a bus stop, exactly where she said she'd be. He whispered a quiet thank you to no one in particular as he pulled up next to the bus stop and rolled the window down.

"Lisa, it's me. Get in."

Lisa approached the car cautiously, making sure it was really Gibbs before climbing into the passenger seat.

"Buckle up," Gibbs said as he pulled back out onto the street. His tone was already coming out a little harsh. He knew he needed to keep his cool if he wanted to get any information out of her but he was finding it difficult not to just start yelling.

Lisa fastened her seatbelt and peeked in the backseat before facing front again. "You didn't bring the kids?"

"They're sleeping. My dad's with them."

"How are they?"

"As good as can be expected."

Lisa sat quietly and fidgeted with her seatbelt while Gibbs drove. He was quieter than she remembered him but just as difficult to read. "Where're we going?" she asked. She wanted to ask him if he was angry but she was afraid of what his answer might be.

"There's a little diner not far from here that's open 24 hours," Gibbs answered. He'd considered the interrogation room at NCIS but he was worried that would scare Lisa into silence and he needed answers. If she'd been on the street for a couple days she was probably hungry. Bribing her food seemed like an easier way to get the answers he was after than trying to intimidate her.

Gibbs waited until they were settled at the diner and had ordered some food and had full coffee cups before he started asking questions. "How've you been?"

Lisa shrugged. "Things got a little complicated after we split."

"Is that why you started smoking pot?"

"What?" Lisa asked narrowing her eyes. "I've never smoked pot."

"So that officer that busted you for possession just made it up? Planted it on you? What?"

"Greg hurt his back a long time ago. The pot was for him. I never smoked any of it and I never let him smoke in the house or around the kids."

Gibbs wasn't sure if he believed that or not but he decided to move on. "When did you find out you were pregnant?"

"Right before we broke up," Lisa answered.

So she had known she was pregnant when they split. Gibbs nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "How did you get pregnant?"

"Do we really have to talk about this?" Lisa asked uncomfortably.

"I have three kids at home, each of whom share my DNA, that I didn't have a clue existed until a couple days ago so yes, we _really_ have to talk about this."

"How does anyone get pregnant, Jethro? I'm sure you took sex ed in high school."

"You were on birth control and I was using condoms," Gibbs countered. "We took every precaution to _not_ get pregnant."

"Would you believe it was an accident?" Lisa asked.

Gibbs just shook his head and waited for the truth. He was in no mood to play games.

"Fine. I stopped taking my birth control pills."

"Why?"

Lisa cringed at the harshness in his tone even though she knew he had every right to be mad. "When Mom died I realized how alone I was. Dad's already gone. I have no grandparents, no aunts, uncles, siblings or kids. It scared me. I didn't want to be all alone so I went to a doctor and started fertility treatments; figured I'd hurry the process along. That's how I ended up with triplets. The doctor warned about an increased chance for a multiple birth. I didn't think it'd happen to me but I was excited when it did."

"I always wore a condom that I bought and brought with me."

"That you left in your wallet which you always put on my kitchen counter with your keys when you came over. I poked holes in them."

Gibbs hid his face in his hands while he schooled his features. Now wasn't the time to blow up, no matter how bad he wanted to. Their waitress dropped off their food and he managed a thank you before asking Lisa another question as calmly as he could. "Why didn't you just ask me to help you have a baby?"

"What would you have said?" Lisa asked in a tone indicating she already knew the answer.

"I woulda said no!"

"Exactly."

"So that gives you the right to steal my sperm, have my kids and not tell me about them for two years?" He was done holding back his anger.

"You know how messed up I was back then!" she said defensively.

"That's no excuse. You knew I wasn't ready for kids so you went behind my back. That tells me you knew what you were doing was wrong."

"You never would've been ready!" Lisa yelled.

"That still doesn't give you the right to just take what you want!" Gibbs yelled back.

Lisa visibly deflated and her gaze dropped to the table. She knew what she'd done was wrong and she knew she wouldn't win the argument with Gibbs but she had to try. "I had no idea what it was like," she said softly. "I thought I'd just end up loving them like… like I loved my dogs which sounds like a bad comparison but you know how much I love my dogs. The first time I heard the babies cry and held them and looked at them—they're part of me and that love was so much different, so much stronger than any love I've ever had for a dog. I didn't understand until after I'd already had the kids why you didn't want to have more but then it was too late."

"You still should've come to me," Gibbs said a little calmer.

"I tried to make you a part of their lives. I named LJ after you. I chose Anthony as a middle name for Mason because I know how much Tony means to you. I couldn't come to you. I planned on never telling you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. I don't know. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to make you understand."

"Lisa, my kids are strangers. I've missed out on the first two years of their lives and that's something I can't get back. It's something that didn't need to happen and it's something that never should've happened."

"I'm sorry," Lisa said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears. "Don't you get it? I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't always fix everything," Gibbs grumbled. He hated to see her cry but this wasn't something he could just brush off.

"I don't know what else to say besides I'm really, really sorry."

Gibbs watched her cry for a moment before moving around and sitting next to her in the booth so he could hold her. Oddly enough he still cared about her, even after everything she'd put him through. The trust and the intimate feelings were gone but she was the mother of his children and that gave them some sort of odd connection.

"We're not gonna get anywhere yelling at each other," he said. "What's done is done and we can't undo any of it."

"You're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm pissed but throwin' a fit isn't gonna accomplish anything."

"What's gonna happen to me?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know," Gibbs answered. "Could be anything from a fine to jail time depending on the judge. I'll talk to the prosecutor. Maybe they'll give you a plea deal."

He scooted Lisa's plate over in front of her then moved back to the other side of the table. They ate in silence for a moment, both of them calming down, before Gibbs asked another question. "Why'd you leave the kids?"

"Sadie was so sick last weekend. I tried everything to get her fever down but nothing worked. She had a seizure and it really scared me. I thought she was dying. I thought she was gonna die before the ambulance got there but there was nothing I could do."

"She didn't die," Gibbs said.

"I barely have any medical insurance on the kids. My job didn't have benefits and I couldn't afford an expensive plan. I figured Sadie would get better care if she was an abandoned child. How is she doing?"

"Is that why you asked your boss for a raise?"

Lisa nodded her head. "Greg and I talked about it the night before. We knew there was no way we'd be able to afford the hospital bill so if I couldn't get the raise we were gonna leave town before anybody came after us but I decided I couldn't do that either."

"Sadie's still a little achy and not eating much yet but she's starting to feel better," Gibbs said. "Lisa, you didn't have to leave her. She would've been taken care of if you'd stayed. She was terrified by the time I got to her and even that wasn't much of a consolation to her because she didn't have a clue who I was."

"I was just trying to do what was best for her."

"Well leaving her in the hospital alone and scared wasn't what was best."

"I'm in over my head," Lisa admitted. "I'm trying as hard as I can but I'm barely treading water and the kids are suffering for it. I know you didn't sign on for this but I didn't know who else to turn to."

"You came to me about two years too late but I'm glad you finally did," Gibbs said. It scared him to think about going through life with three kids out there that he didn't know about.

Lisa let herself relax a little bit. That was some consolation at least. "Did LJ recognize you?"

Gibbs shook his head, not really understanding the question. Why would LJ recognize him?

"I told him I was dropping him off with his daddy," Lisa explained.

That explained why LJ had accepted him as daddy so easily. "He did call me daddy already." There was a trace of a smile on Gibbs' lips but it didn't last long. "I filed for custody of the kids."

"What? No! You can't take them from me," Lisa said desperately.

"Lisa, you abandoned them. They're not just gonna be given back to you. Parenthood isn't something you can take part in when it's easy and convenient."

"But, Jethro—"

"It's not my decision."

"But I didn't leave them because I didn't want them anymore."

"You can't walk out on your kids because things got hard or you got scared. They're helpless. They rely on you for everything. What's gonna stop you from leaving them again?"

"I was scared."

"Raising kids is scary," Gibbs said. "Every cough, sneeze, cut, scrape, bruise, every time they throw up or fall down your heart stops beating but it's your job to take care of them, no matter what." Gibbs almost couldn't believe how different Lisa was from when he'd dated her. Before she'd lost her mother she was a strong, independent, intelligent woman but now her desperation was causing her to make one bad decision after another. She needed help more than she needed to be punished.

"How do I get them back?" Lisa asked.

"You'll have to get a lawyer and file for custody," Gibbs answered.

"How'm I supposed to afford a lawyer?"

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "You might be able to find one that'll take your case pro bono."

"Are you gonna arrest me?"

"You're a civilian. I've gotta take you over to DC Metro. They'll arrest you."

"Are you still gonna talk to the judge?"

"I'll talk to the prosecutor but they don't have to listen to me."

"Are you gonna ask them to lock me up and throw away the key so you can keep the kids?"

"No," Gibbs answered. "The most you could get would be three years, one for each kid, but the judge would probably let you serve that concurrently rather than consecutively."

"Maybe I shoulda gone to Vegas with Greg."

"You would've been found and brought back here and the judge would've been less likely to be lenient."

"There's no way I can get out of this?" Lisa asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "The best advice I can give you is to just face it."

"I'm scared."

"I know, but you'll be okay."

"Please don't make me go, Jethro," Lisa begged.

"Don't make this harder on yourself, Lisa," Gibbs said gently. "Finish your burger."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"You really should try to eat something."

Lisa poked at her food but didn't eat much of what was left. After Gibbs paid, they got back in his car and headed for Metro PD. Neither of them spoke but Gibbs rested his hand on Lisa's forearm in an effort to provide a little bit of comfort. He parked in front of the police station, opened the door for her then walked her in.

"You'll be okay," Gibbs said before they got to the desk. "Just do what they tell you and don't answer any questions without a lawyer."

"Okay," Lisa said.

After dropping Lisa off and making sure she'd be treated right, Gibbs got in his car and took the long way home. He had a lot to think about.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**** Calm Before the Storm**

Gibbs walked into his house, dropped his keys on the table by the door then walked through the living room and dining room without saying a word to his father who was sitting at the dining room table.

"Well good morning to you too," Jack said lightly.

Gibbs grumbled something under his breath as he plopped down next to the man after filling his cup with coffee.

"You look like hell."

"Thanks, Dad," Gibbs replied sarcastically.

"How often do you get called out on cases in the middle of the night?"

"Wasn't a case," Gibbs said. He sighed heavily as he rubbed his face in his hands. Driving around for over an hour had only brought more questions and worries. "Lisa called, the kids' mom. I've been with her."

"Ahh." No wonder his son looked liked crap. "Did you get the answers you were after?"

"I guess." Gibbs took a drink of his coffee as he stared distantly out the window. "Why do I feel like crap, Dad?"

"I don't know," Jack said. "Why do you?"

"How could I not know I had kids out there?"

"They didn't come out of your body, son," Jack replied.

Gibbs knew that his father knew that wasn't the answer he was looking for but he also knew, even in is tired state, that there wasn't an answer that would satisfy him. "Do you think I have any more kids I don't know about?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Jack answered. "Were you always safe in the bedroom?"

"Yes," Gibbs answered with a roll of his eyes, "but Lisa and I were always safe too."

"How did she end up pregnant?"

"She stopped taking her birth control pills, started fertility treatments and poked holes in my condoms."

"Few women are that calculating," Jack said.

"Lisa wasn't calculating. She was desperate. Her mom died when we were dating, suicide. Lisa was cooking dinner when she heard a loud noise upstairs. Her mom had hanged herself, broke her neck. Lisa was never the same after that."

Jack flashed back to his wife's suicide and felt sympathy for his son's ex-girlfriend but his son and his grandkids were his top priority. "It's a sad story but does it excuse what she did?" He was trying to subtly pry into his son's psyche and help him get his head on straight.

"Excuse it? No. But it explains how she ended up desperate enough to do what she did. I liked her, Dad. I don't want her back but I still care."

"I'm sure you'll do what you can to help her but just remember you have three little ones to take care of now."

"They're my first priority."

"Is there any chance their mother could take them back?" Jack asked hesitantly. He was afraid of the answer but had to ask the question.

"She can try," Gibbs said, "and she probably will but she gave up her rights when she abandoned them. That'll make it hard for her and I have the best lawyer in DC. I'm not gonna let her get 'em back."

"Well, I hate to say it because I believe children should be raised by two parents whenever possible, but I hope you're right, son. I feel sorry for Lisa and what she's gone through but the kids need someone they can depend on."

"I know, Dad."

* * *

Jack smiled as he covered his son up with the fleece blanket that proudly bore the United States Marine Corps logo. After their talk he'd used his persuasive powers to get him to lie down on the couch 'just for a little while' knowing his boy would fall asleep. He'd tried to get him to go upstairs so the kids wouldn't wake him when they got up but Gibbs had insisted that he was just going to rest and not sleep.

Once Gibbs was settled, Jack went through his morning routine of showering, shaving and dressing for the day. As he was tucking his shirt into his pants, he heard cooing over the baby monitor and knew the kids were starting to wake.

"I'm comin', babies," he said, even though he knew they couldn't hear him. He made his way down the hall and opened their bedroom door to find Mason sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Gampa!" the boy squealed.

"Good morning, Mason," Jack said, lifting the boy up and kissing his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

Mason rambled while Jack got the diapers and wipes out and Jack nodded offered a few 'mm-hmms' and 'uh-huhs' so the boy knew he was listening. The talking woke both Sadie and LJ, neither of whom were as thrilled as Mason was to be awake at the early hour.

"Good morning, Sadie. Good morning, LJ," Jack said with a smile and a wink as he secured Mason's diaper.

"Where Daddy?" LJ asked with a big yawn.

"Don't you worry about your daddy," Jack said. "He's downstairs taking a nap."

Mason watched his grandpa change his siblings' diapers; his loose, light brown curls bouncing with excitement as he continued his very animated tale. After everybody was clean, dry and redressed, Jack took the group downstairs for some breakfast. He held his finger to his lips and they moved as stealthily as 22 month olds could through the living room, past their sleeping dad, into the kitchen.

"Daddy," LJ said, pointing tiredly towards the living room.

"Yep, we're gonna let Daddy sleep for a little while," Jack said. "How about some chocolate milk while I get started on breakfast." He filled three sippy cups with milk and passed them out then got to work on some scrambled eggs. Mason stayed at Jack's side, paying close attention to everything he was doing and nearly tripping Grandpa on a couple occasions. Sadie sat down with Dash to drink her milk and watch from a distance and LJ wandered into the living room.

The little boy pulled himself up onto the couch and stretched himself out on top of his daddy. Gibbs may have drifted back to sleep if it hadn't been for the elbow in his gut. He rearranged his son so they were both comfortable but as soon as LJ realized Daddy was awake, he had no interest in going back to sleep.

"Mornin', buddy," Gibbs said with a tired smile.

"More, Daddy," LJ replied.

Gibbs was pretty sure his boy was trying to mimic his 'mornin' but he liked the way it came out.

"I'm sorry, Son," Jack said, coming in from the kitchen in search of LJ. "I was hoping you could get some sleep."

"'s okay, Dad," Gibbs said. "I don't have time to sleep right now anyways. I need to head into the city this morning and I was thinking this afternoon we could get the boys moved into their new room." He'd decided to leave Sadie in Kelly's old room, even though it would mean a little more work.

"What business do you have in the city?" Jack asked.

"Just need to meet with the prosecutor to make a recommendation about you know who," Gibbs answered. "I won't be long."

"Maybe after this you can spend a little time at home," Jack suggested, almost phrasing it as a question.

"Dad, there're things I have to do," Gibbs said.

"I know," Jack said. "I just wish you could slow down some. The kids miss you when you're not here and I'd like to spend some time with you as well."

Gibbs looked at the three forlorn little faces staring back at him and couldn't help but feel bad. He wanted to spend more time with his family too but there were a few things he _had_ to do that they couldn't be a part of.

"Hey," Jack said when he saw his son's eyes darken, "I know some things are unavoidable. This conversation wasn't meant to make you feel guilty."

Gibbs sat up on the couch, shifting LJ to one knee and pulling Sadie up on his opposite knee. He grabbed Mason and tugged him closer so he could hug all three kids and kiss their heads. "I have some vacation time saved up. I'll call my boss later and see about using some of it. Tony can handle the team."

"That'd be nice," Jack said with a smile. "Now, how's tomorrow night for the get together with the team? It's Saturday so they could be here at a decent hour, unless they have to work?"

"No, they won't have to work. We were on call last weekend," Gibbs said. "Tomorrow night'll be fine."

"I'll set everything up," Jack said. "Is everybody ready for some breakfast?"

* * *

"I wasn't aware NCIS was involved in the Keenan case," Commonwealth's Attorney Katie McDowell said as he led Gibbs back to her office.

"We're not," Gibbs said. "I'm not here as an investigator. I'm here as a…" he hesitated, not wanting to label himself as a victim. "I'm the kids' father."

"That would make you Jethro Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Gibbs?"

"I met with Lisa earlier this morning," Gibbs said. "I told her I'd talk to you."

"Either you're here so you can say you spoke with me and fulfill your obligation or you want me to let her off easy," McDowell guessed.

"No," Gibbs said. "No, Lisa needs help. I want you to put her somewhere she can get the psychiatric care she needs."

The prosecutor took a moment to study Gibbs' body language, judging his motives and doing her best to get a read on him. "I do like to take the victim's wishes into consideration," she said, not missing the cringe when she referred to the man as a victim, "but I can't send her off to a psychiatric care facility based solely on your recommendation."

"I understand," Gibbs said.

"I'll schedule a psych eval and go from there," McDowell said. "Do you think she'd be open to getting help if I presented it to her as a plea deal?"

"I don't know," Gibbs answered, "but if you do a psych eval on her, it'll show she needs help and I'd rather see her get the help that she needs instead of just being punished."

McDowell stood from her desk and extended her arm to Gibbs. "I appreciate you stopping by. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Gibbs said, shaking the woman's hand before leaving.

* * *

After clearing downtown traffic, Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and called Vance. The man was almost as bad as Jenny had been about pushing him to take time off so Gibbs knew his request would be granted. After approving his vacation with the director, Gibbs called Tony and put him in charge until he returned. He had a feeling the battle with Lisa had only begun but he was satisfied with everything he'd accomplished so far and looking forward to some downtime with his dad and his kids.

By the time he pulled into his driveway, the snow that had been predicted was starting to come down in fat, heavy flakes. "Damn weather," he grumbled as he got out of his car. It was only the end of January but DC had already had quite a bit of snow that year, starting with the storm that had dropped over a foot of snow on them the week before Halloween.

He made his way into the house and was greeted by the sounds of the kids giggling and his dad teasing them. He smiled to himself as he brushed the snow out of his hair. Dash raced to the front door to greet him and licked Gibbs' hand after he'd received a pat on the head.

"Anybody home?" Gibbs called as he hung his coat in the closet.

Sadie made it to him first, her shirt and hands covered in marker.

"DADDY!" LJ yelled as he plowed right into Gibbs, throwing his arms around the man.

Mason was right behind him, jumping up and down to try to get his daddy's attention.

"Hi guys," Gibbs said, kneeling so he could hug and kiss his little ones.

"No!" Mason yelled, looking right past Gibbs.

"No what, buddy?" Gibbs asked.

"No! Ook!"

Gibbs turned in the direction Mason was pointing and could see the snow through the window in the front door. _Snow._ "Yeah, it's snowing. Maybe later we can go outside and play. Would you guys like that?"

Mason raced to the closet and grabbed his shoes. He didn't want to wait until later. He wanted to play in the snow immediately.

"Slow down, kiddo," Gibbs said, taking Mason's shoes from him. "Let's wait until the snow has a chance to pile up. It'll be more fun. How about we go finish coloring our pictures?"

An hour later there wasn't a cabinet in the kitchen that didn't have at least one picture on it. Jack took the last grilled cheese sandwich out of the iron skillet and tested the temperature of the tomato soup that was cooling on the counter with his pinky.

"Perfect," he said. "Are you guys ready to eat?"

"We're coming," Gibbs called from the downstairs bathroom where he was just finishing up washing marker off the kids. He definitely needed to get some crayons the next time he was at the store. "Alright, guys, let's go see what Grandpa made for lunch."

The kids hurried back to the dining room where bowls of soup and sandwiches were waiting for them. Gibbs and Jack secured them in their booster seats then grabbed some soup and sandwiches for themselves. The boys quickly went to work on their meals but Sadie decided she didn't like the soup and only wanted her sandwich.

Jack watched with a smile on his face as his family enjoyed the meal. "Are you not feeling well, Leroy?" he asked when he realized Gibbs had barely touched his lunch. "You're not eating."

"Huh?" LJ asked, with a half a sandwich hanging out of his mouth.

"Wrong Leroy," Jack said, winking at his grandson.

"I'm fine," Gibbs answered. "Just not used to being able to sit down and eat lunch like this."

"You've got to make time to nourish your body, son."

"Dad, please." Gibbs was tired and not in the mood for a lecture about his eating habits.

Sadie poked Gibbs' arm and offered him a bite of her sandwich.

He smiled down at her and took a small bite. "Thanks, sweet pea."

The little girl reached over and rested her hand on Gibbs' arm while she continued eating.

"I've got someone coming over shortly to give me a ride to the grocery store," Jack said. "I need some things for tomorrow's dinner. I figure after being up all night you might want to take a nap with the kids."

"Who's coming over?" Gibbs asked curiously.

"Abby," Jack answered. "She assured me that she wasn't working on anything pressing and I assured her that you wouldn't mind if she took a long lunch."

"Oh. You two have fun and if you think about it, maybe you can get a box of crayons," Gibbs said. He was looking forward to some time alone with the kids. There was nothing work related or related to Lisa that needed his attention so he could focus all his attention on them. Too bad it was naptime.

"Try to get some sleep while I'm gone, Leroy. You look exhausted."

Once his dad had gone and the kids' diapers had been changed, Gibbs tucked them into their beds. Sadie, still fighting off the remnants of the flu, fell asleep quickly. After a story and backrubs the boys were asleep too.

Gibbs used the quiet time to work in what would be the boys' new room. With the exception of a dresser left in there for Mason and LJ to share, all the furniture had been moved out. Gibbs had decided to go ahead and let Sadie use the furniture he'd built for Kelly. Kelly had always loved to help people in any way she could and Gibbs was pretty sure she'd be thrilled to share her furniture with Sadie.

He was in the middle of moving the dresser when he backed up and almost tripped over Sadie. "What're you doing out of bed, baby? I thought you were sleeping," he said as he picked her up.

Sadie nestled into her daddy's chest, happy to have him home with her. She didn't want him to leave again while she was sleeping. Gibbs carried her back across the hall and sat down in the rocking chair he'd rocked Kelly to sleep in countless times. The slow rhythm of the rocking and the peaceful sounds of the boys' deep breathing quickly lulled Sadie back to sleep and not long after that Gibbs was sleeping too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Trouble's Brewing**

Just when Gibbs started getting used to the new noise level caused by his three young children, it increased again. He froze in place when he heard the stampede behind him and moments later Abby raced by him on one side and Mason on the other. As soon as he took another step towards the kitchen, Sadie ran by followed by Tim. He turned around to see if anyone else was coming and LJ leaped into his arms. Gibbs caught him with a grunt, snatching him up seconds before Dash skidded by. The boy let out an ear piercing scream and wrapped his arms around Gibbs' neck so tightly he nearly choked him.

"Easy," Gibbs said. He loosened LJ's grip and turned to see why he was screaming.

"Tony, what're you doing?"

"Uhh—"

"Take that off."

"Sorry, Boss," Tony said as he removed the gas mask he was wearing. "Did you really have to wear this thing? It's not very comfortable and it's kinda smelly. Did you get it in the Corps?"

"Yes and I only had to wear it during training exercises," Gibbs said. He took the mask from Tony and tucked it away on the top shelf of one of the built in bookcases in his living room.

Tony walked into the kitchen where the others had gathered and couldn't resist teasing them a little more. "Boo," he said.

Mason and Sadie screamed and took off running again. LJ wiggled free from Gibbs' arms and chased after them followed by Dash. After shoving a handful of chips into his mouth, Tony hurried off as well.

"Lively group," Jack said.

"This is what it is like at work every day," Ziva said, tossing the salad before adding the tomatoes.

"I remember," Jack replied.

"Speaking of work, are you excited about your time off, Gibbs?" Abby asked as she leaned back against him.

"I am," Gibbs answered with a smile, wrapping his arms around Abby's waist. Usually he loathed time off and avoided it at all costs but this was different. Now he had a life outside the office and a reason to take time off. "And you guys don't have to stay away. The kids and I would love to have you over any time."

Abby's mouth dropped open and she jerked her head in Jack's direction. "You ratted us out!" she accused.

"Guilty," Jack admitted, "but in my defense I know each of you well and communication isn't always your strong suit."

Gibbs kissed the back of Abby's head in an effort to hide his smile but he was pretty sure his father knew exactly what he was doing. Despite living four hours away, the man always seemed to have a handle on what was going on and he wasn't one to hold back. If there was a problem he had no qualms about trying to solve it.

Abby shrugged the whole thing off and the conversation continued. "What're you gonna do with the kids when you come back to work?"

"I decided to look for a nanny," Gibbs answered. "That way Dash won't be alone all day and I know there's one person focused on my kids, not a couple people focused on a big group of kids." He'd gone back and forth on the issue and decided with his work hours that bringing a nanny into his home would be the best, least stressful option, even if he did end up paying a little more.

"One of my friends just got married," Abby said. "She and her hubby don't have any kids yet but I know she loves them. She runs the children's program at my church. She's young, has lots of energy and she's very creative. I could ask her if she's interested."

"How well do you know her?" Gibbs asked.

"Well enough to recommend her to take care of three of the most important people in your life," Abby answered.

Gibbs hesitated briefly before replying. "Alright, no promises but you can talk to her and give her my number if she's interested."

"I hope she is," Abby squealed. "You're gonna love her, Gibbs, and so will the kids!"

* * *

Lisa felt like she'd been waiting in line to use the phone forever when in reality it hadn't even been a half an hour. She followed the somewhat complicated instructions to place an outgoing call and to her relief the other line was picked up after only two rings.

"Yeah, it's Gibbs."

"Jethro, it's me. You've gotta get me outta here, please."

"Lisa," Gibbs said as he separated himself from the group of people at his house. "Where are you?"

"I'm in jail!" she practically yelled.

"I spoke with the prosecutor yesterday morning," Gibbs said calmly. "There's nothing else I can do."

"But I can't stay here."

The desperation in Lisa's voice tore at Gibbs but there really wasn't anything more he could do for her.

"I'll disappear," she said. "If you get me out of here, you'll never hear from me again. You can even have the kids. I promise."

"Lisa, the kids aren't bartering chips you can use to get what you want. They're people and there's nothing more I can do for you. You'll go before the judge on Monday. Until then you've gotta stay there." That was when the sobbing started. A lot of sobbing. He could hear some of the inmates in the background yelling at her and then someone right next to her trying to calm her right before the line went dead. Whether she ran out of time or someone hung up the phone, he didn't know.

"Your lasagna's getting cold, Son," Jack said, "and Mason picked all the olives out of your salad."

"'m comin'," Gibbs said.

"Something wrong?"

Gibbs considered telling his father about the phone call but decided against it. "No," he replied, "everything's fine."

It looked like there had been an earthquake in their dining room when they returned. The kids were trying to suppress their giggles and the adults trying to hide their smiles with the exception of Ducky who looked like he was ready to raise the white flag in surrender.

"Would anybody like to tell me why there are peas all over the table?" Gibbs asked as he sat down.

The group looked to Tony, unanimously electing him to be their spokesperson.

"Uhh… because Dash isn't allowed on the table so he couldn't clean this up for us," Tony answered.

Gibbs resisted the urge to smack the back of Tony's head and also managed to successfully hide his smirk. "And whose peas are they?"

"Some of them are mine, a few are Abby's, one or two might be Sadie's and the rest are LJ's," Tony said. He thought for a moment then amended his statement. "Actually, I think Sadie's rolled on the floor and Dash ate them."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at his agent but a little hand squeezing his refocused his attention. He looked down and saw Sadie smiling at him. Gibbs smiled back and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"What about you, LJ? What do you have to say for yourself?"

LJ looked from Tony to his daddy and erupted into a fit of giggles.

"No more food fights," Gibbs said in a tone that said he meant business but also told the kids he wasn't angry.

"Mm-kay," Mason said.

"And of course the only one I get a response from is the one who wasn't involved, or was he?"

"He probably would've been if he hadn't been so busy eating," Tim said. He wiped the sauce of Mason's face before ruffling the boy's hair.

"As much as that boy's been eating, I predict a growth spurt in the near future for him," Jack said.

"LJ's a good eater too when he's not throwing his food across the table," Gibbs said, "and I bet Sadie will be too once she shakes the flu."

"Has she had anymore seizures?" Ducky asked.

"No," Gibbs answered. "We've been able to keep her fever down. Hopefully the next time it spikes, we can catch it before she has a seizure."

"Well, as scary as a seizure can be, it is fairly common in young children with high fevers," Ducky said. "They almost always go away on their own."

"I hope you're right, Duck," Gibbs said, "but if it happens again we'll deal with it."

"That's right," Jack said, winking at Sadie. "Now, who's ready for dessert?"

* * *

After a week of not hearing from Abby's friend about watching the children, Gibbs and Jack started the stressful search for someone they could feel comfortable leaving the triplets with. They spent days looking through candidates, interviewing the ones that stood out and introducing the kids to a few of them. The process was long but the importance of the task spurred them on.

Two and a half weeks after starting the search, over fifty candidates, thirty interviews and less than ten introductions to the kids later, Gibbs and Jack had set up what they hoped would be the last one. Twenty seven year old Allie Linton was scheduled to come over the following morning for her second meeting with the kids. Gibbs and Jack had hovered over the first meeting but for the second meeting Allie would be taking advantage of the first somewhat nice day of the year and taking the triplets to the neighborhood park. If all went well the search would be over.

Unfortunately, due to a call from Kathryn James about some business at the store that only Jack could take care of, he was headed back to Stillwater, leaving Gibbs to make the final call on hiring Allie. After one final day of fun with Grandpa, it was almost time to say goodbye. It had been a wonderful four week visit and he found himself not wanting to go. He'd offered to take care of things at the store and come right back and he'd even briefly considered moving but Gibbs assured him that he had everything under control and Jack knew his son was fully capable.

After losing his wife all those years ago and Shannon and Kelly's untimely deaths, Jack was tempted to start looking for a place in DC anyways. Family was more important to him than his address and now that he and his son had repaired their relationship and he had three grandchildren to dote on, there were four good reasons to at the very least consider a move. There would be time to contemplate that later though.

Mason toddled into the downstairs guestroom, carrying one of Sadie's doll suitcases and put it on the bed next to Jack's suitcase.

"Hello there," Jack said with an amused grin. "What are you doing?"

"I go," Mason answered.

"I wish you could but Daddy would miss you and so would LJ and Sadie. We'll see each other again real soon though."

Mason's bright, happy expression quickly turned to one of devastation. He was under the impression they were all going on a trip. How would they survive without Grandpa and why was he leaving anyways? Did he not like them anymore? What would happen when Daddy decided he didn't like them anymore either, just like Mommy and Grandpa had?

All of a sudden Mason's sobs were echoing through the entire house, startling everyone. Mason _never_ cried.

"Hey now," Jack said as he picked his grandson up, "everything'll be okay."

"What happened?" Gibbs asked as he hurried into the room.

"I don't know," Jack answered. "He came in here with his bags packed and I told him he was going to stay here with you and his siblings. Next thing I know he's crying."

"Aw, we're not that bad, are we, Mason?" Gibbs asked as he took the boy from his dad.

"No," Mason sobbed.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Gibbs rubbed the boy's back and bounced him on his hip, trying to calm him so he could figure out what was wrong with his normally happy child.

Mason wasn't sure how to put his fears into words so he just clung to his daddy tighter. Gibbs held Mason closer and peppered his head with his kisses.

"It's okay," he said gently. "You're okay. You and Sadie and LJ and I are gonna live here and Grandpa's gonna come visit us all the time. He's just a phone call away."

"That's right," Jack said.

Mason decided that didn't sound so bad and let Gibbs' soothing touches calm him.

"That's better," Gibbs said.

"This isn't goodbye, Mason," Jack said, "this is I'll see you later. In fact, somebody has a birthday coming up in a few weeks and I wouldn't miss that for the world."

After a few more sniffles and a kiss from both Daddy and Grandpa, Mason seemed to be over whatever was bothering him so Gibbs lowered him to floor and let the boy help him carry Grandpa's suitcase to the front door. Everyone got their shoes, coats and hats on then they headed out to the car.

The ride to the train station was somber with the looming goodbye. Gibbs and Jack carried the conversation which reassured all three children. Nothing bad was happening and Grandpa wasn't leaving because they'd done anything wrong. Everything was okay. After one last round of hugs and kisses, Jack headed off to catch his train and Gibbs took his crew back out to the car.

* * *

Lisa could hardly believe her luck. After a fight at the jail that hadn't been her fault she'd been taken to the hospital with seven other inmates. Doctors popped her dislocated shoulder back into place and diagnosed her with a mild concussion then hurried off to treat the other patients. When the guard assigned to watch her and three other low risk inmates stepped into the nurse's break room to get himself some coffee for the long night ahead, Lisa knew what she had to do.

Because of the chaos at the jail and in the emergency room, she hadn't been handcuffed. She slipped out of bed and quickly rearranged the pillows to make it appear as if someone was still under the blanket then turned off the light in hopes the guard would think she was sleeping. She scanned the busy hallway and when she didn't see anyone she recognized, she squared her shoulders and walked out with confidence as if she belonged there.

The scrub top she'd been loaned to replace her bloodied top helped her blend in while she casually made her way down the busy hallway and out the side exit that the ambulances used. She smiled and gave a friendly nod to the paramedics who were unloading a patient from their ambulance, waited for them to go inside then disappeared into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: The Perfect Storm**

After a chaotic morning of getting everybody up, changed, dressed and fed without any help, Gibbs was looking forward to a break. Allie would be there soon to whisk the kids off to the park, leaving Gibbs at home alone to straighten up the living room, do the dishes and get a load of laundry going. He'd underestimated how much work it was to care for three little ones but the love and joy they brought into his life made it all worth it. He just needed to come up with a schedule to follow that would allow him to accomplish everything.

He was in the middle of the second diaper change of the day when the doorbell rang. Dash took off towards the front door, barking like mad at their visitor and despite how obnoxious all the noise was Gibbs liked the guard dog side of his new pet. A seventy pound black lab with a ferocious bark should deter any troublemakers.

"Dash, leave it," he ordered. He gave the dog a pat on the head for obeying as he opened the door. "Mornin', Allie," he greeted. "Come on in. I was just changing their diapers so they'd be ready for you."

"Good morning," Allie said.

Mason hurried into the entryway when he heard his daddy talking to someone and was delighted to see the lady who'd come over and played with him the previous day. "Hi!"

"Good morning, Mason!" Allie said as she knelt down to his level. "Are you ready to go to the park? We're gonna have lots of fun!"

"Yay!" Mason squealed, dancing around in a circle.

"Me go too," LJ said, digging around in the closet for his tennis shoes.

"Let me get Sadie changed then they'll be ready," Gibbs said. "Sadie, baby, let's take a break from your tea party and get you changed. Allie's here to take you to the park."

"'kay," Sadie answered.

By the time Gibbs was finished changing Sadie's diaper, Allie had both boys' shoes and jackets on. "You have my phone number, right?" Gibbs asked as he got Sadie ready to go.

"Yep," Allie answered. "It's programmed into my phone."

"You know where the park is?"

"One block north, three blocks west. I drove by it on my way here. There's already several kids out playing."

"There's a first aid kit in my trunk. If they need more than Band-Aid, call me."

"I will," Allie said. "We'll be fine. The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day to go to the playground."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Gibbs said. "It's supposed to rain tomorrow. You guys have fun, behave yourselves and listen to Allie. Allie, I don't mind if you wanna stay longer than the hour we'd planned on but please call me and let me know if you're gonna do that."

"Alright," Allie replied.

Gibbs knelt on the floor and wrapped his arms around his babies. "Give Daddy hugs and kisses."

After they said their goodbyes, Allie got the kids buckled into their car seats and they were off. She sang songs with the kids while she drove to keep them entertained and the kids did all the motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider and Wheels on the Bus and did their best to sing along.

The warm sunshine on their faces and the sight of the other children playing on the playground sparked even more excitement in the Gibbs kids. Allie parked the car and they went as a group to the playground. She pushed Sadie on the toddler swing and watched Mason and LJ run back and forth across the wooden bridge. They all went down the extra wide slide together then Allie helped Mason walk across the balance beam while Sadie and LJ played in the sand. It wasn't long before a few other kids wandered over to meet the newcomers and their caregivers introduced themselves to Allie.

* * *

Lisa couldn't believe her luck. Again. For the second time in less than twenty four hours, everything seemed to be lining up perfectly in her favor. She'd stopped at the playground in Gibbs' neighborhood to plot how she was going to get her children back, thinking she'd blend right in with the other families and not only had her children showed up, they'd showed up without Gibbs.

She watched her kids move from the swings to the slide to the bridge to the sandbox, always under the watchful eye of the young woman they'd arrived with. It would be difficult to get them away from her, especially with others around but she was determined. She just needed to get lucky one more time.

As she watched she moved from bench to bench, planning her escape route and inching her way closer and closer to the kids. LJ looked up from the hole he was digging with one of his new friends and smiled when he saw his mommy. Lisa put her finger to her lips, hoping he'd be quiet and LJ just waved at her then went back to what he was doing.

When a little girl at the other end of the park let out an ear piercing scream and everyone turned to look in her direction, Lisa hurried over, grabbed LJ and took off. She really wanted all three kids but she knew the chances of that happening and her escaping were slim to none. Since LJ was the closest to her, she decided to just take him and come back for the others later.

Allie turned around moments later and panicked when she realized LJ wasn't sitting in the sand anymore. She called his name and looked around the playground frantically. When she didn't see him, she grew more and more desperate. A couple of the other parents and caregivers helped her search and the mother of the child LJ was playing with questioned her son who said something about a lady and pointed in the direction LJ had been taken.

Allie wrapped her arms around Mason and Sadie and held them tight, doing her best to calm her breathing as she tried to figure out what to do next. One of the other moms knelt next to her and rested a hand on her back.

"You need to call their dad right now, sweetheart," the woman said. "I'll call 911."

"I can't believe this is happening."

* * *

Gibbs had just finished straightening up the first floor of the house when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID but didn't recognize the number.

"Gibbs."

"Hello, this is Officer Pete Burnham with DC Metro."

"Uh-oh," Gibbs muttered. He didn't have a good feeling about this call.

"Uh-oh is right," Burnham said. "Lisa Keenan escaped sometime between last night and this morning. She was transferred to Washington General after a brawl at the jail and somehow managed to slip by the security guard that was watching her room."

"Any idea how long she's been missing?" Gibbs asked.

"No, we're not sure," Burnham answered. "The nurse gave her some pain meds at 7:30 last night and nobody checked in on her until this morning when the docs were doing their morning rounds. We just finished a sweep of the hospital and confirmed she's not here. We've got BOLOs out and the Captain's working on getting her picture on the news. We just wanted to let you know in case she tries to get a hold of you."

"Thanks," Gibbs said, his mind racing.

Officer Burnham promised to keep Gibbs informed then they hung up. As soon as he got off the phone with DC Metro, his cell phone rang again. A quick glance at the caller ID told him it was Allie calling.

"Hi, Allie."

"Agent Gibbs."

The words came out pained and strangled and Gibbs knew immediately that something was wrong. "What happened?" he asked.

"LJ's gone."

"Gone?!" Gibbs grabbed his coat and car keys and raced out the door.

"I don't know what happened," Allie said. "I turned my back for a couple seconds and he disappeared. I've looked everywhere."

"Where are the other two?"

"They're right here, playing next to me."

"I'm on my way," Gibbs said. "Hang up the phone and call 911. Don't let Mason and Sadie out of your sight."

"Okay."

If it hadn't been for the phone call he'd just received from Officer Burnham, Gibbs would've guessed LJ had just wandered off after a squirrel or to explore the small wooded area near the park but with Lisa on the loose he wasn't taking any chances. That and his gut told him it was more than a curious twenty three month old little boy. He scanned the neighborhood as he hurried to the park and ended up arriving the same time as the police. He made a beeline for Mason and Sadie who were playing under the watchful eye of Allie.

"Tell me what happened," he said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He didn't want to scare Mason or Sadie.

"Are you the one who called about the missing kid?" one of the officers asked.

Allie nodded, not knowing who to answer first.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step back," the officer said, waving Gibbs off.

"I'm their father and an NCIS agent," Gibbs explained. There was no way in hell he was going to stand back and watch.

"Alright," the officer said before turning back to Allie. "What happened?"

* * *

Leon Vance pulled out the fat sub he'd packed himself for lunch and muted the TV. He could only handle but so much ZNN. He liked a little peace during his lunch break. He raised his sandwich to his mouth and was getting ready to take a bite when his intercom beeped.

"There's a call for you on line one, Director."

"I'm on my lunch break, Pamela," Vance replied.

"I think you're going to want to take this," his secretary replied. "It's about Agent Gibbs."

"Gibbs isn't even here and he's still interrupting me," Vance grumbled to himself as he snatched the phone up. He listened in horror as someone from Alexandria PD updated him on what was unfolding at the park. "What do you need from me?" he asked when the officer had finished.

"With an escaped con on the loose, we'll be calling in the FBI for the missing person case but your agent might need some support."

"Is that a nice way of asking me to send someone over to control him?" Vance asked. He could only imagine the hell Gibbs was raising.

"He's not doing too bad considering the circumstances but I'm guessing he's barely holding it together."

"I'll get someone there as quickly as I can, Detective."

"Appreciate it."

Vance pushed his sub back, stood, grabbed his jacket and headed out of his office. After instructing Pamela to have his driver bring the car around and to hold all calls and cancel his afternoon appointments, he headed down to the bullpen. He looked down from the stairs and saw Gibbs' team playing cards. When he got closer, he realized they were in the middle of a game of blackjack.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" he asked.

"Nope!" Tony answered. "Just a friendly card game. Worst out of three has to take our case reports up to your office. Of course, since you're down here, technically we could just give them to you."

"Grab your gear, DiNozzo," Vance said, "you're with me. McGee, David, prepare for a visit from the FBI. Have Miss Sciuto do the same. LJ's been kidnapped." He headed for the elevator, leaving all three agents with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. He knew they had questions but he didn't have any more information to give them.

* * *

The park was a zoo by the time Vance's SUV pulled up with Tony following right behind in the Charger. People were being questioned, cameras and all cell phones with cameras confiscated, the area searched and right in the middle of it all Gibbs appeared to be having a heated conversation with Fornell.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Vance said as he and Tony made their way over to the men.

"Director," Fornell said, obviously surprised to see him and Tony.

"Agent Fornell," Vance greeted.

""Leon, we _have_ to take this case," Gibbs said firmly. He'd been trying to intimidate Fornell into handing the case over but was so far unsuccessful.

"You know I can't take this case from the FBI and you can't be the lead agent on the case," Vance replied.

"This is my son!"

"But," Vance continued, "I can put you and DiNozzo on protection detail." He knew that would give them an opportunity to keep tabs on the case and do a little investigating of their own.

Gibbs didn't like it but he knew it was the best Vance could offer him so he gave a silent nod of acceptance.

"Agent Fornell, I have Agents McGee and David and Miss Sciuto on standby to assist in any way they can," Vance said.

"I think I might take you up on that. Thank you, Director." Fornell could've gotten by without the help but he knew it'd give Gibbs a way to get information and he knew he'd be getting top notch help and maybe, if he was lucky, it would keep Gibbs out of his hair so he could work the case.

"Good," Vance said. "That's settled. Next, we're assuming this was Lisa and she obviously knows where you live, Gibbs. Would you like me to set you up in a safe house? I can send you out to Stone Canyon. You can hole up there for as long as necessary and still keep track of everything that's happening."

"No," Gibbs said. "I'm not leaving home. The kids need stability, they need normalcy. We're staying."

Gibbs' stubbornness came as no surprise to Vance but he wasn't going to push. He turned to DiNozzo and addressed him. "Go home, pack a bag. You're staying at Gibbs' house until this is resolved." He knew Gibbs would need help getting through this and he knew Tony would know how to help him. At that point, it was all he could do to help the team leader.

* * *

Lisa looked in the rear view mirror of the car she'd stolen after escaping and panicked when she saw the flashing red and blue lights chasing her down the interstate but to her surprise they stopped before they reached her. She alternated between watching the road and her mirrors and realized the police were setting up a road block, most definitely in search of her and LJ. She'd known her window of opportunity would be small so she'd hurried and apparently made it just in time. She breathed a sigh of relief and let it turn into a smile. She was home free with her prize in the backseat of the car.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Daddy!**

"Where gowin?" LJ asked as he looked out the window of the car. They'd been driving for a long time. It was starting to get dark out.

"To Vegas to find Greg," Lisa answered.

"No!" LJ whined. He didn't want to go back to Greg. "Daddy. Daddy!"

Lisa tried to shush him but the combination of the long drive, no nap, a wet and messy diaper and nothing to eat was too much for the little boy to handle.

"LJ, please stop," Lisa begged. "Don't cry."

"I need Daddy!" LJ screamed, not letting up at all.

Lisa pulled off at the next rest stop, hoping a little fresh air would help settle the boy. It would be nice to stretch their legs before driving through Indianapolis. She and LJ walked around the paths and searched the sky for the first star. Lisa pointed out the man in the moon and watched out of the corner of her eye as a car pulled in and parked next to hers. When a young mother got out and helped her two little ones out of the backseat, Lisa decided to take a chance.

She waited for the woman to go into the bathroom then picked up a calmer LJ and headed back over to the car. She peeked into the woman's car and smiled when she saw the keys in the cup holder.

"Time to go, buddy," she said as she strapped LJ into one of the car seats, something the car they'd been travelling in didn't have. "The sooner we get back on the road, the sooner we'll get where we're headed."

She hurried around the car and slipped into the driver's seat, smiling even bigger when she saw the woman's purse tucked under the seat. The small amount of money she'd found in the last car had all been spent on gas. Hopefully this woman kept cash in her purse. She turned the car on, backed out of the parking spot and continued on her way.

* * *

Gibbs sat slouched over on the couch in the early hours of Thursday morning. The TV flickered as the news anchor reported what had happened during the overnight hours while most people had been asleep. A scrolling marquee ran across the bottom of the screen with all LJ's information and a phone number to call with any information. In addition to the marquee, a breaking news report had interrupted regular programming at random intervals all throughout the night with LJ and Lisa's pictures and information. The whole thing seemed surreal to Gibbs. He'd never expected to see his boy's picture on the news. It made him feel sick. It was happening again. First Kelly and now LJ. Maybe he wasn't father material.

Tony made his way into the living room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning. It was way too early to be up, even on a work day. He frowned when he saw the almost zombie-like state Gibbs was in.

"You haven't been to bed yet, have you, Boss?" he asked as he turned the TV off. "You're gonna drive yourself crazy watching this stuff all the time."

Gibbs closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the couch. He knew Tony was right but at the same time he hadn't been able to bring himself to turn the TV off, almost as if he were completely dependent on that perceived connection to LJ.

Tony made his way into the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee then poured a cup for Gibbs and cup for himself before returning to the living room. He tried to figure out what to say but nothing sounded right. 'Everything will be okay' seemed condescending. 'We'll get him back' didn't seem appropriate when they both knew he couldn't make that promise. There really wasn't anything he could say. He hoped just being there would help Gibbs in some way.

"Do you think LJ's okay?"

"I don't know," Gibbs answered quietly.

"Would she hurt him?" Tony asked cautiously. "I mean, for her to all of a sudden abandon her kids and then break out of jail and kidnap one of them… seems like she's not in her right mind."

"I think she's been on the verge of 'not in her right mind' ever since her mother died," Gibbs replied. "When Sadie had that seizure I think Lisa was afraid she was gonna lose somebody else she loved and she snapped when she couldn't deal with it. Will she hurt LJ? Not on purpose but she has no money for food or diapers, no home, no place to go, no one to turn to."

Their conversation was interrupted by one of the little ones crying into the baby monitor. It had been a long night for both kids. LJ wasn't there and Daddy was upset and they didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Do you want me to go check on 'em?" Tony asked.

"No, I'll do it," Gibbs said.

Tony turned the TV back on after Gibbs had gone upstairs, just in time to catch one of the breaking news reports. "Where are you, buddy?" he asked the picture on the screen. He wondered briefly if Lisa had changed the boy's appearance. Had his blonde hair been covered up by brown or black? He hoped not. LJ was a cutie and just perfect like he was. And with those bright blue eyes, somebody had to recognize the kid. There weren't a lot of kids with hair _that_ blonde and eyes _that_ blue.

Gibbs returned with both little ones and Tony flipped the TV off. Gibbs sat down next to Tony and Tony took Sadie while Mason snuggled deeper into his father's embrace. It was time for more hugs and kisses and reassuring the kids that everything would be okay.

* * *

Gregory Pruitt found himself sitting in an interrogation room for the second time in a week and was not at all happy about it, especially considering he hadn't done anything wrong that time. What did the FBI want with him? He tapped his fingernail against the cup of now cold coffee while he waited. When he neared the point of not being able to take it any longer, the door opened and a balding agent entered.

"Mr. Pruitt, I'm Agent Fornell."

"Mind tellin' me what this is about?" Pruitt's tone didn't hide his impatience.

Fornell pulled out a picture of Lisa and laid it on the table in front of the man.

"That's Lisa."

"Heard from her?"

"Nah. We split ways a few days ago. Haven't seen or heard from her since. I thought she was in jail."

"Have you seen the news in the past twelve hours?" Fornell asked. How did this guy not now about Lisa and LJ?

"No. I met someone at the casino last night," Pruitt answered. "She took me home. We've been in bed ever since. What's going on? Did Lisa escape or something?"

"Yeah, she escaped, kidnapped her son and now she's in the wind."

"How do you kidnap your own kid?" Pruitt asked with a laugh.

"She gave up custody when she abandoned him," Fornell explained. "Come on, Greg. She's got no money, no home, no means to take care of a toddler. Help me out here."

"I would if I could but I haven't seen or heard from her!" Greg insisted. "I don't know nothin' about no kidnapped kid or runaway prisoner or nothing!"

"If I find out you're lying to me, I'll have you charged with aiding and abetting and if anything happens to that kid, you'll be looking at a manslaughter charge."

* * *

Thirty two year old Blake Garner was headed from his small farm in Oklahoma into town to get some supplies when he passed a car with its blinkers flashing. He didn't think twice about pulling his full size pickup truck onto the shoulder of the road to offer his assistance. That was what they did in Oklahoma, they helped people out. There was a little boy in the backseat, wide awake and very upset. The woman in the front seat was sleeping the early morning hours away, although how she could sleep through the boy's crying was a mystery.

Blake knocked on the window, wondering if she was okay. She didn't even budge. Maybe she wasn't just sleeping. He opened the front door and was immediately overwhelmed by the smell. The kid obviously had a dirty diaper which was probably one of the reasons he was so upset.

"Ma'am?" Blake said. Still nothing. "Ma'am?" he asked a little louder, poking her shoulder.

Lisa gasped in fear at being startled awake. She stared at the stranger, trying to figure out what he wanted.

"Everything okay?" Blake asked.

"Who are you?" Lisa asked. She had to make sure she wasn't talking to a cop.

"I'm Blake. I own a ranch 'bout fifty miles down the road. Saw your four ways on and thought I'd stop to see if you needed help."

Lisa turned around to make sure LJ was still in the backseat then faced the cowboy again. "My car ran out of gas." That wasn't a lie. The damn tolls in Oklahoma were outrageous and had depleted the little bit of money she'd found in the purse. She'd decided to take back roads to avoid any more tolls and ended up running out of gas. Her luck had obviously run out.

"I could give you a lift to the gas station," Blake offered.

"Um, it's a little more complicated than that," Lisa said as she concocted a story in her head. "See, my husband gets real mad sometimes and it was okay when it was just me but I didn't want him to hurt our son." She motioned to LJ in the backseat. "I had to get him outta of there. It wasn't safe. I can't take any money out of our account or he'll be able to track me down. He'll probably kill us both if that happens."

"Well, where ya headed?" Blake asked.

"I don't know," Lisa said working up a few worried tears for show. "I was just trying to get as far away as I could."

"He'd never find ya on my farm," Blake said. "You guys could stay with me for a bit."

"Really?" Lisa asked. That was just what she'd been hoping for. "I don't wanna put you out. I could work, earn my keep. I cook and clean and I'm good with animals."

"Sure," Blake said.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

* * *

"Mason was named after you," Gibbs confessed quietly as the boy slept on his chest and Sadie slept on Tony's, "his middle name."

"Lisa knew who I was?" Tony asked.

"No, I guess I talked about you enough that she figured out how important you were to me," Gibbs said.

Tony looked over at Gibbs and smiled.

"Don't let it go to your head," Gibbs said with a wink.

"Never thought anybody would be named after me," Tony said. "Maybe we should start calling him by his middle name."

Gibbs gave him a look that dashed his hopes.

"I was just kidding. That's pretty cool. Who's Sadie named after?"

"Her middle name's Josephine. That was Lisa's mother's name. I don't know where the name Sadie came from, or Mason."

"Have you called Jack yet?" Tony asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Wednesday's bingo night. Dad's a night owl. He usually goes out for pie after bingo and doesn't come home till he's ready to crash into bed." He looked at his watch. It was just after 6:00. "I guess I should call him now."

"I'll hold Mason."

After handing Mason off, Gibbs made his way into the kitchen for a little privacy. He knew his dad would be awake. Jack was the one who'd taught him the 'you can sleep when you're dead' mantra—Jack and the Marine Corps. He took a deep breath before picking up the phone and dialing his father's number.

"Hello."

"Hi Dad."

"Good morning, Son. Why the early morning phone call?"

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, not really wanting to tell his dad what had happened but he knew he had to. "LJ's gone, kidnapped."

"What?!"

"Lisa escaped. We're pretty sure she has him."

"When? How?"

"They were playing at the park with Allie yesterday."

"I'm coming back," Jack said. "I'll be there later today, as soon as I can."

"Dad—" Gibbs stopped short of telling his father not to come when he realized he really wanted the man there, "thank you."

"Uh-huh," Jack said. "See you soon, Leroy."

After hanging up with his father, Gibbs dialed Fornell's number. He needed an update, even if it was just something small.

"Surprised it took you this long," came the tired voice on the other end of the phone.

"Whadda ya got?" Gibbs asked.

"Metro received video of Lisa stealing a car yesterday morning before she snatched LJ. LoJack put the car at a rest stop on this side of Indianapolis. Police reports indicate another stolen car at the same rest stop last night. We've got a nationwide BOLO out on it but no hits yet. Lisa and LJ's pictures will be on every news station across America this morning. Any idea where she might be headed?"

"She doesn't have any family left. She's not much of a traveler. Her boyfriend was headed to Vegas. Maybe she went out there to meet up with him."

"I talked to Pruitt this morning. He's shacked up with another woman. Guess the trip to Vegas was cancelled."

"Lisa would have no way of knowing that," Gibbs pointed out.

"I'll call the police out there and let them know she might be headed their way. How are you holding up?"

"I dunno," Gibbs said. "Mason and Sadie are having a hard time. I'm trying to focus on them so I don't have too much time to think about what LJ might be going through."

"We'll find them, Jethro," Fornell said. "Based on everything I've learned, Lisa's not the criminal mastermind type who'll end up being good at hiding from us."

"Yeah," Gibbs said quietly. He hoped that was the case. "Keep me in the loop, will ya?"

"Of course."

* * *

After spending the morning shopping for his animals and his unexpected houseguests, Blake got back in his pickup and headed back towards his farm. As soon as they got out of town, Lisa stopped looking over her shoulder and fell asleep. After driving nearly twenty hours and spending all night the night before plotting and planning and watching for cops she was exhausted.

Blake looked in his rearview mirror and smiled at LJ. The boy had been cleaned up, changed and fed and now instead of crying because of being uncomfortable, he was crying for his daddy. The cowboy couldn't help but feel sorry for the little guy. The boy didn't know his mother had taken him away from his daddy to protect him. He could tell Lisa was getting frustrated with the constant crying so he decided to try to help.

"It's okay, little guy," he said. "We're gonna go somewhere fun. Do you like animals?"

"Daddy," LJ wailed.

"I have a couple horses, a few cows and some dogs and cats, several chickens and a stubborn old goat. He's a mean old thing though. You don't wanna try to play with him. Do you know the Old MacDonald song? Maybe you can help me sing it and make some fun animal noises."

The rest of the long trip was spent singing the song and looking out the window. LJ's focus momentarily shifted from his daddy to making fun animal noises and checking out his new surroundings. He'd never seen so much wide open space in his life. His excitement level escalated every time they passed a field full of cattle or horses.

When they arrived back at the farm over an hour after leaving town, LJ had finally calmed down. Blake gave them a tour of his surprisingly large ranch house before heading out to take care of his animals. Lisa turned to LJ and smiled.

"What do you think, baby? I think we're gonna be happy here and Blake seems like a really nice guy."

LJ looked around the room and saw none of his toys, no Daddy or Grandpa, no Mason or Sadie or Dash, no Tony, Abby, Tim or Ziva, nothing familiar and decided this was not where he wanted to be. He looked up at his mommy and puffed his lip out as his eyes filled with tears again. "I wan Daddy!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: By A Thread**

The sound of Tony's feet connecting with the pavement echoed off the houses lining the street. Dash's tags rattled on his collar as he ran alongside the agent in the early morning hours. The air was cool against Tony's bare legs but he hardly noticed it. After Gibbs had fallen asleep on the couch with Mason and Sadie, Tony had taken Dash and slipped out for a run in hopes of clearing his head. He was just as devastated as Gibbs was about losing LJ but he knew he needed to keep it together for Gibbs and the children. He had to be the strong one. He was hoping a short run in the brisk March air would help him pull himself together.

Tony ran Dash to the park so he could take care of business. They slowed their pace to a walk and Tony stared at the sandbox, imagining little LJ digging a hole, chattering away with his new friend and then being snatched and taken away from everything he knew and loved. He'd read the police report. He knew exactly what had happened. He saw it every time he closed his eyes, every time he had a moment alone to think, every time the news broke in with a report on the kidnapping…

Dash whined and nosed Tony's hand, bringing him out of his trance. Tony cleaned up the dog's mess and tossed it into the pet waste disposal can then took off at a run before his emotions could catch up to him. In many ways he was only hanging on by a thread and knew if he dwelled on it for too long that he'd fall apart. The two took the long way home, watching lights come on in windows, cars leave and bus stops fill up as the neighborhood around them woke.

"Better get back before our crew starts waking up, Dash," he said. "We'll have to go to the airport later to pick grandpa up and I'm sure Gibbs'll wanna talk to Fornell. The little ones need baths and lots of love. You can help with that—the love part. I won't make you take a bath. It's gonna be another busy day, boy. And hard. And long. Another long, hard, busy day."

Dash barked in response. The living room light came on as they jogged up the driveway. They'd arrived back just in time. Tony rubbed his hand over the dog's soft fur as he released the leash.

"Let's do this, Dash."

* * *

After a long, trying morning, Jack finally boarded the plane that would take him to DC. He'd paid nearly double what he usually did and ended up with a first class seat after learning there was no more room in coach but no amount of money was going to keep him from his family.

His desperation to get to his son and grandkids was manifesting itself in impatience. He could've cared less about the hot towels, alcohol and three course meal the flight attendants offered him during the short flight and made sure to tell them how unnecessary all the fuss was just so they could charge an exorbitant amount of money. He cut off attempts by the well meaning man sitting next to him to make conversation too. For the first time in a long time he had no interest in talking. The only thing on his mind was the tragedy unfolding in Alexandria. By the time the pilot announced their descent into Dulles, he'd been labeled the grumpy old man by the passengers and flight attendants.

Gibbs and Tony were waiting right outside the security checkpoint with the kids. Tony was smiling, though it wasn't his most genuine smile, and Gibbs just looked miserable.

"Gampa!" Mason squealed, trying to free himself from Tony's grasp so he could get to Jack.

"Hi, bud," Jack greeted with a smile and a kiss as he whisked his baby into his arms. "How are you?"

"I o-tay," Mason answered. "LJ go bye-bye."

"I heard," Jack said. "We're gonna try to get him home real soon. Sadie, how you doing, sweet pea?" He kissed his granddaughter and brushed his fingers over her cheek.

"Seepy," she answered, cuddling into her daddy's chest.

"Sleepy? Did you have a hard time sleeping last night?"

"Uh-huh."

"Maybe we can all take a nap later," Jack replied with a wink. "How ya holding up, Leroy?"

Gibbs just looked at his dad and shook his head. Not well.

"Tony?"

"Hangin' in there," Tony answered. "How are you? How was your flight?"

"Frustrating," Jack answered, pointing them in the direction of baggage claim. He wasn't sure how long he'd end up staying so he'd packed his suitcase instead of his carryon. "Did you know they serve three course meals in first class for breakfast? Ridiculous! And all so they can swindle hardworking people out of their money."

"Does seem like overkill for a short flight," Tony said, "but as much money as those tickets cost, I'd be scarfing down anything they offered me."

"Wasn't much in the mood for eating," Jack replied.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Nobody here ate much this morning either."

"We'll have to fix that," Jack said. His nurturing side would not let his loved ones go without food because they were upset. They needed to be strong for the kids and strong for each other and sleepless nights and empty tummies wasn't the way to accomplish that.

* * *

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer Luke Metzger pulled up behind an abandoned car on a long stretch of road between towns. He peeked in the windows and saw two car seats in the back but no other personal belongings. The car had either broken down, run out of gas or someone had left it on the side of the road so the state would pick up the fee to tow it to the junkyard. Metzger had seen all three in his time on the force.

It was already ticketed and had been sitting long enough that it needed to be taken care of. Metzger slapped a bright orange sicker on the back window for the tow truck driver then returned to his cruiser. After looking at his map, he decided to call the tow service fifty miles north, not knowing Lisa was sixty miles west, and made the call as he continued on his way.

* * *

It had been a week since Blake brought Lisa and LJ to his farm. Lisa was a little odd, in Blake's opinion, but he couldn't quite put his finger on a reason. He chalked it up to the domestic abuse and left it at that. Besides, he knew he was odd too. Who didn't have a TV or computer in this day and age? Neither seemed to be bothered by each other's oddities though. Lisa had a warm, safe place to hide out and Blake came home to a clean house and hot meal each evening.

The cowboy had grown quite fond of having LJ around. He'd taken it on himself to be a friend to the little boy. The kid wasn't getting along well with his mother. The only two words he ever seemed to say to her were 'no' and 'daddy'. Despite all the tears and cries for his daddy, Blake enjoyed LJ's company. When he returned from his weekly haul into town to get supplies, he found the little boy wandering around the house, fingers in his mouth, crying for his daddy. Blake smiled sadly at the child and scooped him up into his arms.

"It's alright, big guy," he said. "Is your mommy still sleeping?" He walked far enough down the hall to see that the door to her room was still closed. "Looks like she is. Do you wanna help me feed the animals this morning?"

"Daddy," LJ shuddered through teary sobs.

Blake rubbed LJ's back as he made his way into the room he was using and grabbed the diapers and wipes. He told LJ all about his trip into town that morning while he changed his diaper then picked the boy up again and headed for the kitchen to grab a banana. He'd make a bigger breakfast after the animals had been fed but he needed a little something in his stomach to tide him over. He sat down in one of the rocking chairs on the porch with LJ in his lap. The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon. It was the most peaceful time of day.

LJ's crying slowed as they watched the horses and cows graze in a nearby field. Blake had quickly learned that his young guest loved to watch the animals. With LJ calmed down, Blake worked on getting some food in his belly, knowing hunger wouldn't help anything. They shared a banana then headed out to the barn together to get the bucket of chicken feed.

"Okay, LJ," Blake said as they approached the pen, "the trick to feeding the chickens is you've gotta throw a handful of food in there before you open the gate so they won't peck you when you go in their pen."

"Wer at?"

"Anywhere in there," Blake answered. "They'll find it. Grab a handful and toss it in."

LJ got two fistfuls of chicken feed and threw it through the fence. He shrieked in excitement when the chickens flocked to the scattered seed. Blake opened the gate and let LJ help him spread more feed then they headed into the coop while the chickens ate.

"Let's get some eggs," Blake said. "We gotta watch out for snakes in here. They like to come steal the chickens' eggs."

"Dat's n'nice," LJ said, watching with great interest as Blake pulled a couple eggs out of the first nest and put them in the bucket they'd used to carry the feed in.

"You're right, not nice at all," Blake agreed. "Your turn, kiddo. Be very gentle."

Blake tapped the board next to each nest to scare away any snakes while LJ collected the eggs with great caution. When they were done caring for the chickens, Blake fed the goat but made LJ stand back so he wouldn't get hurt. He didn't exactly have the nicest goat. They fed the dogs and Blake explained that they didn't have to feed the cats very often because they caught the mice in the barns. With the horses and cows grazing in the fields, their early morning chores were done.

"I think it's time to feed this little belly now," Blake said, tickling LJ.

LJ giggled and squirmed and tried to tickle the cowboy back but didn't have much luck before Blake got him again. By the time they arrived back at the house, LJ was much happier than he'd been when he woke up.

"Looks like your momma's still asleep," Blake said. "Let's wash our hands and get started on breakfast. I don't know about you but I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

"Eww," LJ said. He didn't think he'd like to eat a horse. That sounded yucky.

"How about some bacon and sausage, hash browns, eggs and toast instead?"

"Nummy."

LJ shadowed Blake all over the kitchen. He helped him move chopped potatoes, sausage links and bacon into the skillets, put bread in the toaster and crack eggs into cups. Blake enjoyed the little one's company and found it easy to be patient with him. It was nice to have the boy running around his farm and the cowboy felt good about rescuing him and his mother.

By the time Lisa got out of bed and made her way into the kitchen, breakfast was nearly ready.

"Mornin'," Blake said. "Coffee's hot."

"Thank you," Lisa said, "and good morning. Sorry about sleeping in. I guess I didn't realize how tired I was."

"It's not a problem," Blake replied with an easy smile.

"Good morning, LJ," Lisa said. "Can Mommy have a kiss?"

"No," LJ answered. He was still not happy with his mommy for taking him away from Daddy.

"A hug?"

"No."

"That makes me sad," Lisa said. "Can I give you a hug and a kiss?"

"I sayed no!" LJ demanded.

"Are you ever going to say anything besides 'no' to me?" Lisa asked.

LJ didn't understand the question so instead of answering he scrunched his face up at his mother to show his disapproval.

"We've had a busy morning," Blake said, trying to break the tension. "We fed chickens and collected eggs and fed the goat and the dogs and we watched the cows and the horses."

"Sounds like fun," Lisa said. "I'm sorry I missed it." She ruffled LJ's hair on her way to the coffee pot.

"I was wondering if you wanted to brush the horses this morning while I clean out their stalls," Blake said. "Have you ever done that before?"

"Yeah, and I'd love to," Lisa answered. "I was thinking I could brush the dogs too."

"I'm sure they'd like that," Blake said.

"This is a cowboy sized breakfast," Lisa said when Blake put a plate of food in front of her. "Are you going to be able to eat all yours, LJ?"

LJ crossed his arms and scowled at his mommy and Lisa decided she'd had enough of her son's attitude. How could the month he'd spent with his dad have erased the twenty two months she'd spent with him? "Excuse me. I need to have a word with my son."

Blake nodded as Lisa grabbed LJ's hand and led him down the hall. When he started resisting, she dragged him into her bedroom.

"What is your problem?" she growled quietly.

"No!"

"You have everything you could ever want here. You get to do all kinds of things you never got to do in DC. You're the center of attention. Why can't you just be grateful?"

"Daddy," LJ ground out, giving his mother his best glare.

"I wish I never woulda brought you here," Lisa snarled. "Sadie and Mason would've been thrilled to come on this adventure and I'm sure they would've behaved better than you are."

"No."

"If you're not careful, I'm gonna start smacking your butt, mister," Lisa warned.

LJ's glare turned even more evil towards his mother but as tempted as Lisa was to swat his butt, she didn't want to take him back out to the breakfast table crying. She opened the door, motioned for him to leave and followed him out.

LJ made a beeline for Blake. He tugged on the sleeve of the cowboy's plaid flannel shirt as crocodile tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. "Daddy," he said when Blake looked down at him. "Me wan Daddy!"

Blake scooped the child up and brushed his tears away with his thumb.

"Didn't take long for him to wrap you around his little finger," Lisa commented as she sat down at the table with them.

"It's a rough transition," Blake said while LJ sobbed into his shirt. He was a little annoyed with Lisa. He knew Lisa was frustrated but he and LJ had had such a good morning together and after five minutes in a room with his mom, the little boy was a sobbing mess again. Blake would be the first to admit he didn't know much about raising kids but he understood the concept of picking your battles and he didn't think this was one Lisa needed to pick with her son when he was obviously in such a fragile state.

He pulled LJ's plate over next to his and tried to pry the boy off of him enough he could turn him around in his lap but LJ wasn't having any of it. "I know you're hungry, big guy. Don't you wanna eat some of this breakfast you helped me make?"

LJ clung tighter to Blake and buried his face deeper into the man's strong chest. "Daddy!"

* * *

Two weeks passed with no news. Two weeks of barely holding on. Two weeks of pretending to sleep and forcing himself to eat. Two weeks of Tony and his father taking care of the children while he beat himself up over the one he'd lost. Two very, very long weeks. And just about the time Gibbs wasn't sure if he could hold on any longer, another obstacle was placed in his path. The kids' birthdays were only days away.

"What's on your mind?" Jack asked as he put a cup of coffee in front of his son. Tony was upstairs in the bathtub with Mason and Sadie. The kids loved it when he put on his swim suit and played in the water with them. In fact, they loved it so much they'd started begging Daddy for a swimming pool.

"Their birthday's next week," Gibbs answered.

"I know," Jack said.

"I was sure we'd have LJ back by now. Where's she hiding him? What is she doing with my son?"

"We can't give up hope, Leroy," Jack said.

"What if he's cold and hungry? What if he's scared? Lonely. Sick. Hurt."

"Leroy," Jack said.

"I'm not even being a good father to the two I have left." He'd been struggling to balance his heartache and desperation to find LJ with caring for Mason and Sadie. How could he be expected to go on like nothing was wrong? But how could he expect Mason and Sadie to stop living their lives? What the hell was he supposed to do?

"You're doing the best you can and you're doing just fine," Jack said. "You feed 'em, you hug 'em, you kiss 'em, you play with them, you read to them—"

"But all I can think about is the one that's missing."

"That's understandable."

"Should we celebrate their birthdays?" Gibbs asked. "Should I put it off until LJ comes back? I doubt they'd know the difference but what if he never comes back? What do I do, Dad? I'm so tempted to take Tony and go out looking myself."

"Tobias is one of your best friends," Jack said. "Do you not think he's doing everything he can to get your child back?"

"We shoulda found him by now!" Gibbs insisted, his anger growing.

"The best of the best are working on it," Jack said. "You're needed here. Mason and Sadie need to know they're still important too. They need to know their daddy still loves them. That is your job right now. I think you should celebrate their birthdays, even if it's just cake and ice cream and a couple presents. Then, when LJ comes back, and he _will_ come back, we'll have another party."

"We're being invaded by little munchkins!" Tony yelled dramatically as he chased the little ones into the living room. "Run for your life!"

Mason dove onto the couch between his daddy and his grandpa and Sadie grabbed onto Gibbs' leg and squealed when Tony caught up with her.

"Do we have some squeaky clean children now?" Jack asked, tugging Mason into his lap.

"Very squeaky," Tony said before rubbing his fist over Mason's bare tummy and making squeaking noises.

"Me too! Me too!" Sadie said, pulling her shirt up.

Tony did the same to her and made more noises. "Yep, you squeak too and I brought her comb down, Daddy. She still only wants you to brush her hair."

Gibbs took the comb from Tony then situated his daughter in his lap and started brushing her loose curls. Thanks to quite a bit of practice with Kelly he'd learned how to minimize pulling while getting the tangles out. Sadie wouldn't let anyone else touch her hair with a comb.

"I think we should go to the mall today," Jack said.

"I don't know, Dad," Gibbs said.

"Come on," Jack said. "It'll be fun. Besides, we could all use a day outside this house." He knew it would give his son a chance to do some birthday shopping and the kids could play and have fun. There were toy stores and pet stores, cookie shops to stop and get a tasty treat and they could hit the food court for lunch.

"Does sound like fun," Tony said.

As much as he might've wanted to, Gibbs knew he couldn't say no. He also knew his dad and Tony were right. Sitting around waiting for the phone to ring wasn't doing any of them any good. He put the comb down on the end table and turned his daughter around. "Do you wanna go to the mall?"

"Yeah," Sadie answered.

"Mason, do you wanna go to the mall, buddy?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Alright," Gibbs said, "we'll go to the mall."

"Daddy?" Sadie said.

"What, baby?"

"I wub you."

Gibbs smiled and drew his daughter's head to his chest. "I love you too, Sadie," he said before kissing her. "And you, Mason, I love you too. Come here."

Mason hurried across the couch into his father's outstretched arm. Daddy had been sad a lot lately but that didn't mean he'd stopped loving them. They were still safe and loved and cared for and that was the only thing that mattered.

Gibbs held his children tightly to him, dropping kisses on their heads and combing his finger through their hair. The mall could wait a couple more minutes.

Jack and Tony looked at each other and smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: In The Know**

Abby's heart nearly stopped beating when she got a hit on the license plate of the car Lisa had stolen at the Indiana rest stop. After weeks with very little to go on they finally had a clue. She snatched up her phone and quickly dialed Fornell's phone number, her fingers tapping impatiently against her desk while she waited for him to answer.

"I found the car Lisa stole!" she all but yelled as soon as she was connected.

"Where?" Fornell asked.

"At a tow yard in Oklahoma."

"Search for other stolen cars in the state," Fornell instructed. "I'll call the tow yard and find out where they picked it up."

"Should we tell Gibbs?"

"Let's hold off and see what else we turn up," Fornell replied. "I'd rather be able to tell him we have a clue about where they went next."

"Okay," Abby said.

"Let me know what you find out."

"I will."

Fornell called the tow yard and was told where they picked the car up and that it had most likely been abandoned simply because it ran out of gas. Unfortunately the car had been found in the middle of nowhere. He called every police station in a one hundred mile radius but none of the small town officers reported any newcomers to their towns or any sightings of Lisa and LJ. Fornell couldn't even make an educated guess about where to look for them.

Things got even more baffling when Abby called and told him all the stolen cars in the area were accounted for. It appeared Lisa had fallen off the face of the earth. It wasn't exactly the news he wanted to give Gibbs but he couldn't put it off any longer. He pulled out his phone and dialed his friend's number.

"Jethro, how ya holdin' up?"

"Doin' the best I can," Gibbs answered. "Do you have news?"

"We found the car Lisa stole from the rest stop," Fornell replied. "A trooper found it on the side of the road in Oklahoma last week and had it towed. According to the tow yard, the only thing wrong with it was an empty gas tank."

"Any sign of LJ?" Gibbs asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry," Fornell answered. "There're no unaccounted for stolen cars anywhere in the area and I called every police station in a hundred mile radius. A lot of small towns. Nobody's seen and newcomers. There's no sign of Lisa and LJ."

Gibbs wasn't sure how to respond to that. It wasn't the news he'd been hoping for. How could they have just disappeared? Did they find a vacant home or rundown barn to hide out in? Had they hitchhiked somewhere? Were they dead on the side of the road?

"I'm gonna take McGee and Sacks and head out there," Fornell said. "It's thin but it's all we've got right now."

"Alright," Gibbs replied, resisting the urge to insist on going with them.

"I'll call you as soon as I know something."

* * *

As the weather got nicer and the temperatures more comfortable, Lisa started helping out with the animals more and more so LJ could play outside. Her son wasn't quite as defiant when he had a little more space to roam and more to keep him occupied. The little boy had taken a liking to Diesel, one of Blake's dogs that looked a lot like Dash. The two would spend hours roaming the yard, building forts out of anything and everything they could find, digging up bugs, harassing the chickens and teasing the goat.

Naptime had gone from Lisa trying to put her son down in his bed to LJ running and playing outside until he got so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and laid down wherever he happened to be. Diesel was always right there with him, keeping watch over the sleeping child. LJ knew when he woke up from his nap, Blake would be back from the fields soon and his focus turned to watching for his friend. He'd let his momma change his diaper and feed him but other than that, the distance between them continued to grow.

"LJ," Lisa called, "I'm going to start dinner. Stay where I can see you from the window."

LJ turned away from his mother without acknowledging her. "Tum on Deek," he said. Diesel had turned into Deek because it was easier for LJ to pronounce but the dog didn't seem to mind.

The two headed for the backyard to wait for the cowboy to return home. They chased birds and bunnies and nearly caught an unsuspecting baby squirrel before it scurried up a tree and safely out of reach. Diesel found a stick and laid down in the grass to chew on it and LJ laid his head on the dog's belly and looked up at the clouds, pointing and babbling on and on. When Blake's face appeared above him, LJ smiled sweetly at him.

"Whatcha see up there?" Blake asked, laying down next to the little boy.

LJ moved his head from the dog's tummy to Blake's and pointed out clouds that resembled fish and boats and trains. Blake found cars and sheep and one that looked like a horse before LJ lost interest and instigated a tickling war with the cowboy. Blake was tired and sore after the long day's work but obliged the almost two year old before standing and lifting him high up into the air and flying him into the house.

"Dinner's almost ready," Lisa said. "I hope pork chops are okay."

"Sounds great," Blake said. "Smells good too. LJ, let's wash our hands and set the table for Momma."

LJ looked back and forth between his mom and Blake and considered saying no but decided that since Blake asked him, he would do it. "Mm-kay."

"Nice to see him obeying someone," Lisa snarked.

"I'm sure this is rough on him," Blake said as he rubbed his hand over LJ's hair. He wasn't thrilled about some of the comments Lisa made in front of her son. The boy was getting better. He was only crying for his daddy when he woke up in the morning and right before bed instead of all day long. Blake was guessing the anger towards his mother would wear off soon too. "I walked through the strawberry fields on my way home. They looked pretty ripe. Do you guys wanna go pick strawberries after dinner?"

"Maybe I'll stay here and make a pound cake so we can have strawberry shortcake when you guys get back," Lisa said.

"That sounds good," Blake replied. "What do you say, big man, can you help me pick some strawberries?"

"Yah," LJ said quietly.

Blake patted his head and winked at the boy before helping him into his seat. He always got quiet after Lisa's harsh comments.

Blake and Lisa made small talk while they ate. LJ pushed his food around but didn't get much of it into his mouth, even with his mother and Blake's encouragement. He didn't feel like eating. He didn't want to be at the farm anymore. He was tired of this adventure. He wanted to go home to his daddy and his siblings. Daddy was always nice to him, even when he was naughty.

"How about I put this in the fridge in case you get hungry later, LJ," Lisa suggested.

LJ continued staring straight ahead and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't really care.

"Now you're not speaking to me?"

The little boy glanced up at his mommy and realized she was mad again so he just stayed quiet.

"I think that sounds like a good idea," Blake said. He put his and Lisa's plates in the dishwasher while Lisa covered LJ's and put it in the refrigerator then Lisa got started on the cake and the guys headed back outside.

Blake whistled for Diesel but not even the dog could cheer LJ up. The little boy let Blake hold his hand but wasn't interested in exploring everything that moved like he usually was.

"You alright, big guy?" Blake asked gently.

LJ rubbed his eye with his free hand and sniffed back his tears. He didn't want to cry in front of the cowboy. His mom was right, he was a little brat but if Blake starting hating him like his mother did, he wouldn't have anyone left. When Blake knelt in front of him and pulled him into a hug, he couldn't hold the tears back any longer.

"It's okay, buddy," Blake whispered. "Everything's gonna be okay."

* * *

Gibbs sat in the basement, staring at the pile of brightly wrapped gifts stacked on his work bench. The party had already started above him. Well, if you could call it a party. Everyone was putting on their best face for Mason and Sadie but LJ's absence was weighing heavy on their minds. Unsure footsteps on the stairs pulled his attention.

"Need some help?" Abby asked quietly when Gibbs looked over at her.

"Just need a minute," Gibbs said. He was supposed to be bringing the birthday presents up to the party.

Abby made her way over to Gibbs, reached out and grabbed onto his hand. He gave it a squeeze and they both stared at the three tricycles on the floor.

"Oh Gibbs," she whispered, frantically wiping at the tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry. You should be the one crying, not me."

"Come here," Gibbs urged softly as he tugged her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He wouldn't admit it but he'd been crying a lot lately too.

"He's coming home, right?" Abby asked. "We're gonna get him back. We have to."

"We'll get him back," Gibbs replied.

Abby knew from the strong sense of determination that Gibbs was telling her the truth. There simply wasn't any other solution. She pulled back from his embrace and wiped her face then helped Gibbs sort out which presents would be opened now and which would be saved for when LJ returned.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Sadie and Mason. Happy birthday to you!"

Mason couldn't keep his fingers out of the frosting on his Superman cake while the group sang. Sadie clapped her hands and smiled brightly at the people gathered around. Neither really understood the whole birthday thing but friends and family gathering for cake, ice cream and presents sounded like fun to them.

"Blow out your candles, guys," Gibbs said.

Mason blew the two candles on his cake out with no problem while Sadie got a little help from Daddy with hers. Ducky and Abby cut the cakes and Ziva added a scoop of ice cream to each plate for the kids.

"Alright," Abby said, "who wants Superman cake and who wants a piece of the princess cake?"

With the exception of Jack and Tony, the guys chose the Superman cake and the girls picked the princess cake. Even after grilled steak and BBQ chicken for dinner, everyone had plenty of room for cake and ice cream. Once their bellies were full, the group headed into the living room to open presents. Both kids received all kinds of things that would get their minds working and fingers exploring while offering hours of fun and excitement. Gibbs hoped the remaining presents in the basement wouldn't stay wrapped up long. He needed to get his baby back.

"Do you think LJ's having a party?" Abby asked Tony. The two were doing dishes while Gibbs and Jack put the kids down for the night. Everyone else had gone home.

"Don't know," Tony answered. "I doubt it. If Lisa has any money she better be buying food and diapers."

Abby frowned. "There's more presents in the basement," she said quietly.

"I know. More for Mason and Sadie and some for LJ."

"We have to do something, Tony."

"Like what?" Tony asked, raising his tone in anger. "You're helping Fornell with the case. I'm trying to hold Gibbs together. If I had any clue where LJ was, I'd go get him myself but short of what we're already doing…"

"Tony," Abby whispered. He never got angry and he most definitely never got angry with her.

"I'm sorry," Tony said calming down again. "I'm sorry. This is too much. A month is too long."

Abby wrapped her arms around him and he returned the hug.

"I didn't mean to use you as an outlet for my anger," Tony said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We're all on edge. I know you're being strong for Gibbs and I know you need some way to release all the feelings you're bottling up."

"I've been running with Dash in the mornings," Tony said.

"I thought you were getting skinnier," Abby said, playfully rubbing Tony's belly.

"Easy on the touchy feely," Tony said. "I haven't scored since this case started."

"We could sneak down to the basement right now and you could jump my bones," Abby suggested, "or I could jump your bones. I'm open to whatever."

"You deserve better than me, Abby," Tony said, turning back to the dishes. "I just hurt people and I don't wanna hurt the people I love." Abby smacked him across the back of the head so fast he thought Gibbs had returned. "What the hell?!" he asked turning around angrily.

"Don't put yourself down like that!" Abby scolded. "You're a great guy and you're totally loveable. Just because your father screwed up your ability to have a normal relationship with a woman doesn't mean you have to keep picking up meaningless nobodies from the bar and running away before they can hurt you."

"They don't hurt me, Abby, I hurt them."

"You only hurt them so they can't hurt you first," Abby challenged. "Not all women are gonna leave you like your mom did, Tony, and there's more out there than the easy women who'll go home with any guy that has a fat wallet like your father's been parading through your life on a constant basis. You're worth more than that. You're better than that."

"And how is you offering to take me down to the basement and jump my bones any different than a one night stand with someone from the bar?" Tony asked with a mischievous smile.

"Because, I am not a meaningless nobody," Abby answered. "I love you, Tony."

"Like a friend or…"

"Yeah, like a friend but everything starts as friends. No serious, healthy relationship ever started naked in the bedroom after a night of heavy drinking."

"So, is the offer to drag me downstairs and jump my bones still on the table?" Tony asked hopefully.

"No. I've changed my mind. You're emotional and horny and I would just be an easy release for you right now," Abby said, "but, if you want to explore what it's like to be in a real relationship with a real woman, I'd be happy to show you."

"How do you feel about a hand job in the bathroom?"

Abby reached around and smacked the back of his head again.

"Sorry," Tony said. He turned back to the dishes, deep in thought about everything Abby had said. He did like her. She was fun, funny, adventurous, fearless, loyal—he could go on all night. He'd avoided anything serious with her because he didn't want to hurt her but after her little speech maybe it was worth a shot. Maybe it would be different. Maybe it was time for a change. Gibbs' life was changing again. With all the talk of moving to the city, Jack's life was probably going to be changing too. If they could do it, so could he. "Abs, how would you feel about catching a movie with me tonight, and not as a friend, as my… boyfriend?"

"I would love to," Abby answered.

"Great. Unfortunately, I'm kind of on protection detail so it'll have to be in Gibbs' living room after him and Jack go to bed."

"Sounds perfect," Abby replied.

"What's perfect?" Jack asked.

"Tony's taking me on a date in your living room," Abby answered.

"My living room would be quite the drive and I'm not sure it'd be worth it," Jack teased. He chuckled when both Tony and Abby rolled their eyes at him. "Jethro fell asleep with Sadie and I'm getting ready to hit the sack so you two have fun."

"You're not gonna tell us to behave ourselves?" Tony asked.

"No. I told you to have fun," Jack said with a wink before he disappeared back upstairs to give them some privacy.

* * *

Gibbs didn't wake until the next morning when he felt a wet tongue on his fingers. Dash was ready to go outside. The dog had been a good motivator for him in the mornings when he was so depressed he didn't even want to get out of bed. As he stretched he realized he wasn't in his own bed. His feet—actually, it was more like most of his legs were hanging off the end of the bed and there was a warm body tucked up against his side. He opened his eyes and realized he was in Sadie's room. It was a good thing he'd hand built the toddler bed they were in. The low quality beds at the furniture store never would've held his weight.

He replaced his body with a pillow, in hopes that Sadie would continue sleeping and headed downstairs with the dog. When he opened the front door he noticed Abby's car was still parked on the street. He didn't think much of it until he headed through the living room to the kitchen to get his coffee and saw she wasn't on the couch. His dad was upstairs in Mason's room and Tony was in the guest bedroom, that didn't leave anywhere else for her. He looked at the clock and realized Tony was usually out with Dash on a run at that time.

Panic started to rise. He put off making coffee and headed down the hall. With everything else that had gone wrong over the past month, he was worried something else had gone horribly wrong. He knocked twice and called Tony's name before opening the door.

Tony's head jerked towards the door as he flung the covers over Abby's head. "Mornin' Boss!" he said.

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were both okay.

Abby shoved the covers off her head and popped up. "That may work with the sleaze balls you find at the bar but it won't work with me," she scolded. "Good morning, Gibbs. This isn't what it looks like. We did not sleep together… even though Tony tried."

"Abby!"

"Well you did!"

"I'm just glad you guys are okay," Gibbs said. "Didn't mean to wake you."

Tony and Abby stared at each after Gibbs left without scolding them.

"What just happened?" Abby asked.

"He hasn't been himself since LJ's been gone," Tony explained as he rolled out of bed. "I better go check on him. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"Only if you promise to wake me up if there's a problem."

"I will," Tony said before kissing her cheek, "but there won't be a problem."

Tony pulled his sweatpants on and headed out to the kitchen where Gibbs was talking on the phone while he waited for his coffee to brew. Tony pulled two coffee mugs out of the cupboard and grabbed the hazelnut creamer from the fridge for his morning brew. He scratched behind the dog's ears while he waited for Gibbs to finish up his phone call.

"Fornell?" he asked after Gibbs hung up.

"Yeah. Nothing was turned up in the search of the fields where they found the stolen car. Him, Sacks and McGee split up. They're going town to town, looking around, questioning people, flashing pictures. Nothing yet."

"Feels better knowing they might be closing in on them," Tony said. "It's a little easier to have hope. I don't know."

"I know what you mean," Gibbs said. "It's better than everybody sittin' on their ass here." He filled both cups with coffee and watched as Tony doctored his up just the way he liked it.

"Abby and I really didn't sleep together last night," Tony explained. "We watched a movie and it was late and she was tired and lonely and I just invited her to stay."

Gibbs nodded as he listened while drinking his coffee.

When Tony didn't get a reaction out of Gibbs he decided to take it a step further. "We are kinda dating now. Not kind of. We _are_ dating now. Abby said she's not gonna give up on me, not gonna let me take the easy way out or get scared and push her away."

"You two have been friends for a long time," Gibbs said. "If you wanna take that friendship to the next level, I'm not gonna stop you."

"Really?" Tony asked. "Are you okay, Boss?"

"Life is short. Shit happens. Why not enjoy what you can, when you can?"

"That was very un-Gibbs-like. I'll take it as a no, you're not okay," Tony replied. "Perhaps I should hide anything you could use as a weapon so when what I just said sinks in you can't kill me. Then again, that would be kinda pointless considering you could kill me with your bare hands."

"I'm not gonna kill you," Gibbs said. "Just keep it out of the office. I'm not gonna choose sides between you two."

"You don't really have to," Tony answered. "Your son is named after me. I think that pretty much clears up who the favorite is." He stopped talking when he saw the glare on Gibbs' face. "Uh, I'm done."

Gibbs just shook his head and walked out.

* * *

Blake decided to stop by the diner in town and pick up some pancakes for breakfast. The special ingredients they used made it some of the best pancakes in the country but he'd stopped going there weekly when his guests had arrived. The diner was packed with local ranchers, getting their fill for the long day ahead. Blake found a seat at the counter and put an order in to go.

"Blake! I haven't seen you around here in weeks."

"Been busy," Blake told one of his favorite waitresses. "Springtime and all." He hadn't told a soul about Lisa and LJ being on his farm for fear of her abusive husband tracking them down. He didn't want any trouble.

"We've missed you. Did you order some pancakes to go?"

"You know I did," Blake answered. "Gotta have enough to tide me over till I'm in town next week although I've missed the pancakes so much I might just eat 'em all on the way home."

"Do I need to double your order?"

"Don't tempt me."

"How about some coffee while you wait?"

"Please," Blake answered with a nod.

He sat and caught up on the news while he waited for his order. The plan was to take the food home and eat with LJ and Lisa. Luckily he'd created a precedence of ordering a few meals to eat throughout the week so it didn't look strange to all of a sudden be ordering extra food. A name on the TV caught his attention. He realized it was a breaking news report and gave his undivided attention.

"Donna Jo, would you mind turning the TV up?" he asked.

"…the FBI is appealing to anyone with information on the whereabouts of LJ Gibbs and his mother, Lisa Keenan. If you've seen or heard anything please contact them at the number on your screen. At the time of his abduction, LJ was 31 inches tall and weighed approximately 24 pounds. His mother is now facing federal parent abduction charges."

"That poor, poor father," Donna Jo said as she put a takeout bag on the counter in front of Blake.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked curiously.

"Those reports have been playing for a month now," Donna Jo explained. "His dad, also Leroy Jethro Gibbs—such a strong name, anyways, he was on the news after it happened and he was just heartbroken. He's a federal agent. Just goes to show anybody can be a victim of anything."

"Sad," Blake said as he grabbed the takeout bag and headed for the door. "Thanks for breakfast."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** A huge thank you to GotGoats for flooding me with suggestions that added to the drama of this story and made this chapter better! I only wish I could've used them all. Thank you! =)

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Letting Go**

The breaking news report hadn't really surprised Blake. He'd known Lisa had taken her son and ran and he knew taking LJ across state lines meant the FBI would be involved so why was his gut all knotted up? Just because LJ's dad was a federal agent didn't mean he didn't beat Lisa and the kid. It wouldn't be the first time some guy was crying on the news only to get his family home and let the cycle of abuse start again but something told him there was more to the story.

Instead of heading back to the house, Blake decided to stop by the sheriff's office first. He wasn't ready to turn Lisa in yet but he did want a little more information. The question was how he was going to get that information subtly but he had an idea about that too.

"Mornin' Cal," he greeted. "Long time no see."

"Whose fault is that?" the sheriff asked. "You slink into town, get your supplies and slink out before the crack of dawn."

"I don't slink," Blake said. "You know this is my busy season."

"It's always busy season on a farm, Blake. I assume you didn't stop by to see my pretty face. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping I could use the computer in your office," Blake said. "I don't have time to wait around for the library to open." He and Cal were longtime friends and always doing favors for each other.

"One of these days you're gonna have to stop living like a hillbilly and get yourself a home computer."

"Trust me, Cal, I'm far from a hillbilly."

"Go ahead," Cal said, motioning towards his office with his head.

"Thanks, man," Blake said. "Next time you're out in my neck of the woods, I'll hook you up with some eggs."

Blake disappeared into the sheriff's office and closed the door behind him for a little privacy. He scoured the internet for any public records he could find on LJ's dad. It didn't take long for story after story of the agent's heroic actions to pop up. The more he read, the more Lisa's story about being abused unraveled.

As he continued his search, he learned Gibbs was a former Marine who'd lost his wife and daughter. He dug and dug and dug but couldn't find anything pointing to him being anything other than hero. By the time he was finished, his mind was whirring with questions. Had the agent's past turned him into an abusive boyfriend and father? The loss of his wife and daughter and job stress could've pushed him over the edge or maybe Lisa had lied to him. LJ was old enough to be scared of his daddy if he was mean but the boy never gave any indication of that being the case.

He deleted the search history, said his goodbyes to Cal then left. He had a long drive ahead of him and a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

LJ stood at the picture window in the front of the house, staring down the long driveway waiting for Blake's truck to appear. He hated the mornings that the cowboy had to go into town. He was lonely when his friend wasn't around. Something was different that morning though. It was light outside and Blake wasn't home yet. They were supposed to feed the animals when it got light out.

"Uh-oh," the little boy said. He didn't want the animals to be hungry.

The two year old looked out the window one more time and when he didn't see Blake he decided there was only one thing he could do. He helped Blake feed the animals every morning. He'd just have to do it by himself. He pushed a chair from the dining room to the front door and crawled up on it. The lock was tricky because it turned both ways but he figured it out after a couple tries.

"Me com'n chickies," he said as he toddled past the coop, over to the barn. He dragged the heavy bucket of feed over to the pen, leaving a trail behind him.

"Frow da fud in firs," he reminded himself. He threw a couple handfuls in then opened the pen and dragged the bucket in.

After trying unsuccessfully to dump the food out, he scooped several handfuls out until it was light enough he could tip over. The bucket hadn't seemed that heavy when he helped Blake carry it. He decided to wait to collect the eggs until Blake got home. He didn't want the other animals to get hungry if he took too long.

Diesel raced over to greet LJ as he exited the chicken pen and the dog followed him back to the barn to get the goat's breakfast. LJ decided that maybe since he was just taking the grumpy animal some breakfast, it would be nice to him. He climbed up on the bottom rung of the fence so he'd be tall enough to reach the latch that held the gate in place.

Diesel barked a warning but LJ just shushed him. The goat was hungry. He entered the gate cautiously, staring at the goat as he sidestepped to the trough. As soon as he started putting the hay in, the goat charged him. LJ screamed but the goat wasn't deterred. It head butted him and knocked him to the ground before Diesel started having a fit.

* * *

Gibbs gently combed his fingers through Mason and Sadie's baby soft hair, fingering the loose curls at the end as he lay in bed with them. He wondered briefly where the curls had come from. His hair had never been curly and as far as he knew Lisa's hadn't either. That probably meant the kids would lose their curls.

LJ's hair didn't curl at all. It laid perfectly flat on his head, the blonde contrasting nicely with his deep blue eyes—the blue eyes that would have every girl in his high school coming after him. Gibbs knew exactly what his son had to look forward to because it was the same thing he'd dealt with. He wondered briefly if he'd get to see his namesake go off to school. Would he ever see his child again? He knew that was no way to think but it had been over a month with no news.

Sadie shifted next to him and yawned. Gibbs thought she was waking but he rubbed her shoulder and she slipped back into a peaceful sleep. It was too early for the little ones to be up although the sun was just starting to brighten the sky so it wouldn't be long before there were two wild children and one wild agent tearing through the house.

He heard the lock on the front door turn and knew Tony was back from his early morning run with Dash. The soft rumbling of voices told him his father was awake too. He knew it was time for him to get out of bed as well. His full bladder wasn't going to let him stay there much longer.

He shifted out from under his children and scooted off the end of the bed. After pausing to kiss each child he headed off to use the bathroom down the hall so he wouldn't wake them.

"Mornin', Boss," Tony said.

"Mornin'," Gibbs greeted. "How was your run?"

"It was nice," Tony said. "Perfect spring day for a run. Kids up yet?"

"No," Gibbs answered.

"Want me to get 'em up after my shower?"

"Sure. I'll come up and help when I hear the water go off."

Gibbs headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where his father already had a pot of fresh coffee brewed and waiting. He poured himself a cup and took a drink before sitting down at the table.

"Mornin, Son," Jack greeted.

"Mornin', Dad. No paper?"

"Not yet. They must be running late again."

"I think we got a new paperboy who hasn't quite figured out the route yet," Gibbs replied.

"That's okay because I've been wantin' to talk to you anyways," Jack said.

"What's on your mind?" Gibbs asked.

"I've been giving it a lot of thought and I've decided to move down here," Jack said.

"But Stillwater's your home," Gibbs said. Jack may have been considering it for quite some time but Gibbs was caught completely off guard by the announcement.

"My home is with my family, Son," Jack said. "I figure I can hang on to the store for the time being. I'll give Kathryn a promotion and let her run it. She's been doing a fine job. I already have a realtor lined up so I won't be invading your space."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Gibbs said. "I'm just surprised. You love Stillwater."

"I love you more, Leroy," Jack said. "It's been nice seeing you and talking to you again these past few years and when you called and told me I had grandkids, I had this overwhelming urge to be wherever they were. Can't spoil 'em properly from over two hundred miles away now can I?"

"I guess not," Gibbs said. "If you're sure, I'll help you get everything set up."

* * *

Blake knew something wasn't right when he saw Diesel barking at the goat as he drove down his driveway. Not even the dogs liked to go near the grumpy creature. Diesel usually meant LJ was nearby but that couldn't be right. It was too early for LJ to be outside. He looked closely at the big picture window and started to panic when he didn't see the little boy's mop of blonde hair like he normally did when he returned from town. Something definitely wasn't right.

He raced down the driveway and slammed on the brakes then got out and hurried towards Diesel. His heart dropped when he saw LJ lying on the ground behind the dog while the goat carried on. With the dog distracting the goat, Blake hurried over to LJ. He was relieved to see the boy's eyes open and looking more stunned than hurt. LJ lifted his arms to Blake and the cowboy swooped him up and carried him out the pen.

"Diesel, come," Blake ordered. The dog obeyed and Blake closed the gate to the pen. "Good boy," he praised patting the dog's head. "What happened, LJ?"

Now that he was safe and realizing what had just happened, LJ started sobbing into Blake's shirt.

"Did the goat hit you, kiddo?" Blake asked. "Did he bump you with his head?"

LJ nodded through his tears.

"Where at?"

The little boy pointed to his belly and Blake lifted his shirt up so he could see. He poked around, not really sure what he was supposed to be feeling but when LJ's tears were interrupted by little giggles he figured the child was alright.

"Were you trying to feed the goat?" Blake asked.

"Me hewp," LJ said.

"Yeah, you're a good helper, aren't you? That goat shoulda given you a kiss."

Blake carried the child into the house where Lisa was just rolling out of bed and not looking very happy about being up.

"The dogs have been barking all morning," she grumbled.

"Yeah, well, one of the dogs just saved your kid's life," Blake said, trying not to show how peeved he was at her. LJ never should've gotten out of the house and Diesel's bark was clearly a 'something's wrong' bark. Blake could tell that from the end of the driveway. How could she not have gotten out of bed to see what was going on?

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked. "Why is LJ's back all muddy?"

"Me fee chickies," LJ said proudly.

"Apparently he's been out feeding the animals and the goat head butted him," Blake said. "I'll have to run him down to the clinic and make sure his insides didn't get scrambled." LJ giggled as Blake tickled him.

"No!" Lisa said, suddenly wide awake. "You can't! If anybody's looking for him and this pops up on his medical record, they'll know where we are."

"I know one of the doctors," Blake said. "I'll have her take a look at him—no paperwork. This is important, Lisa."

"What if she calls the police?" Lisa asked.

"She won't," Blake said, _but I might…_

Blake left Lisa standing in the living room panicking while he took LJ into the bathroom for a quick bath. The kid was caked in mud from head to toe and, from the smell of it, he had a messy diaper too. How could this woman, this mother who professed to love her child so much, take such poor care of him? Blake didn't mind LJ tagging alone with him in the mornings, he actually enjoyed it but Lisa had never asked him if it was okay. He wondered if Lisa even knew what LJ did while she slept in.

Then there were the snide remarks she made to him. Blake had had a wonderful and loving mother and he knew all kids didn't get that lucky but he'd never seen a mom talk so poorly about her child. Maybe he was just riled up after all his research that morning or still on an adrenaline high after finding LJ lying on the ground. He knew if Diesel hadn't been around, the boy could've been trampled.

"Bwake?" LJ asked,

"Sorry, buddy," Blake said. "Got a lot on my mind." He smiled at the child as he filled the pitcher with water and poured it over the back of his head.

"Me bad," LJ concluded.

"No," Blake said. "You were just trying to help. Did you go feed the animals because I was late?"

LJ nodded.

"Smart boy, you're a very smart boy, LJ, but next time maybe you shouldn't feed the goat, okay?"

"'kay."

"You and I are gonna go on a little trip after your bath."

"'n Mommy?"

"Mommy's gonna stay here this time. Is that okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good boy."

Blake got the child cleaned up and put a fresh diaper on him before getting him dressed. He brushed LJ's teeth and hair then they headed back out to the living room to find Lisa pacing and chewing her fingernails.

"We shouldn't be gone too long," Blake said, not giving her an option about whether or not LJ would go to the doctor. "Sometimes the clinic's busy though so if we're late, don't panic."

"Easy for you to say," Lisa griped.

"You're on your own for breakfast. LJ and I will grab something in town." And with that, he took the boy and left.

There wasn't a soul at the clinic when Blake arrived with LJ. It didn't open for another hour but Blake hadn't lied about knowing the doctor and he knew Cynthia would let him in early. He walked around to the house portion of the building and let LJ ring the doorbell. The two waited patiently for the doctor to appear.

"Blake," she greeted with a warm smile. "What a nice surprise. And who do we have…" One look at the child and she knew exactly who he was. She watched the news regularly and there was no mistaking that blonde hair and those piercing blue eyes. "Blake, do you know who this is?" she asked, shuffling them inside.

Blake nodded.

"Where'd you find him?"

"Found him and his mother on the side of the road several weeks ago," Blake answered. "She said her husband was abusive so I took 'em in."

"The FBI was here last night asking if I'd seen them or knew anything about their whereabouts," Cynthia said.

"Did they leave a phone number?" Blake asked. He was still uneasy about turning Lisa in. At least if he kept her around the farm, he could watch out for LJ. The last thing he wanted to do was send the boy to an abusive home but if his father really was the hero the media made him out to be, he had no right to keep them apart.

"He gave me a business card," Cynthia said, digging around on her desk. "Are you gonna call? Is the father abusive?"

"I don't know," Blake said. "The news portrays him as a hero but you never know what goes on behind closed doors. I'm gonna call though. I just wish I had some leverage. I wanna know I'm sending him somewhere safe."

"Is he sick? Or was I the only one you trusted with a kidnapped child?"

"You are the only one I'd trust," Blake said. "My goat got him this morning. I think Diesel saved him from any major damage but I wanna make sure there aren't any broken bones or punctured organs or internal bleeding or anything like that."

"I'll check him over," Cynthia said. She held her hand out to the little boy who was clinging tightly to Blake. "Can you come with me for a minute, LJ?"

The boy looked up at Blake for reassurance.

"It's alright, bud. Cynthia's real gentle. She always fixes me up when I get a boo boo too and you know what? If you're real good, she might give you a cookie when she's done."

"A cookie at 8:00 in the morning, Blake? No wonder the kids love you. I should pass out apples at this time of day."

"An apple isn't a reward, Cynthia," Blake replied.

"I suppose you're right. Is there anything in his belly?"

"No, I haven't fed him this morning but he is hungry, so if we could hurry this along."

"I've got some sausage pinwheels in the oven," Cynthia said. "I'll whip up some eggs and you guys can eat with me this morning."

"You're the best," Blake said. "See you in a minute, LJ."

"You no go," LJ said.

"I won't go anywhere, pal," Blake promised. "I'm gonna make a phone call then I'll come find you."

* * *

Fornell threw his shaving kit into his overnight bag and did one last sweep of the motel room in the tiny town he'd stopped in the previous night. He'd been to so many lately that he couldn't even remember the name of the town. With every police station, school and hospital he visited, he got more and more discouraged. He was running out of towns and still didn't have a single lead. It was looking more and more like Lisa hitchhiked out of Oklahoma and if that was the case they could be anywhere.

The only glimmer of hope he had was the road the car had been found on wasn't a main drag. She would've been less likely to get picked up by a long haul trucker who could've transported them halfway across the country. Then again, it only took one.

He was checking out and turning his key in when his cell phone rang. Assuming it was just McGee or Sacks checking in, he snatched it up and put it to his ear without looking at the caller ID.

"Agent Fornell."

"Are you the agent that was at Atoka Clinic yesterday?"

Fornell's eyes grew wide. Was this a lead? "Yes, that was me. Can I help you?"

"My name is Blake Garner. I'd like to meet with you as soon as possible."

"May I ask what it's concerning?" Fornell asked cautiously. He didn't want to scare the guy away but if Blake wanted to talk about a missing cow or an unfair arrest, he really didn't have the time or patience.

"Uh, the missing woman and kid," Blake replied.

"Where would you like to meet?" Fornell asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"I'm at the clinic right now."

"Give me about fifteen minutes."

* * *

Blake studied the large, black SUV as it came to a stop in front of the clinic. LJ was in the back, eating breakfast with Cynthia. He'd taken a quick liking to her. She was gentle, her hands were warm and it was easy to see that she genuinely cared. The cookie he received after laying still for the x-rays didn't hurt either.

The man that got out was shorter than Blake expected but still looked like someone you wouldn't want to mess with. The cowboy unlocked the door, let the man in then locked it behind him.

"Are you Blake?" Fornell asked.

Blake nodded.

"Agent Fornell, FBI." Fornell flashed his badge and was surprised when Blake grabbed it and studied it. That told the agent that Blake didn't trust him or wasn't completely convinced that what he was doing was the right thing, or maybe both. Fornell couldn't afford to lose the lead so he was patient with him.

"Do you know Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" Blake asked.

"The dad or the child?" Fornell asked, watching for any glimmer of hope. Was this the guy who could help him get little LJ home?

"The dad."

"I do," Fornell answered. "He's a great guy, wonderful dad and I'm sure if it weren't for Mason and Sadie, he'd be standing here instead of me right now."

"Mason and Sadie?"

"LJ's brother and sister. They're triplets."

Blake's eyes widened. LJ was a triplet? If the dad was so abusive, why did Lisa only grab one and run? Did she not care about the other two? "Does he have a record?" It seemed like a fair question. It was public information.

"Only the kind military heroes come home with," Fornell answered. "Do you know where LJ is, Blake?"

"I don't want to send him home to an abusive environment," Blake replied.

Fornell fought to keep the grin off his face and suppress the shout of joy that wanted to escape. He'd found the boy and he was alive. "Why would you think his father would abuse him?"

"To be honest, I don't know what to think," Blake said. He told Fornell the story of how he'd found Lisa and the abuse allegations, of some of her questionable parenting methods and how LJ had been crying for his daddy since the day he'd brought them home.

It wasn't standard procedure but Fornell had been doing his job long enough to be able to get a quick and accurate read on people and Blake seemed like a decent person so he decided to go out on a limb. "I'm sorry, Blake, but what Lisa told you couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is she tricked Jethro into getting her pregnant and didn't tell him for two years then abandoned the kids on his doorstep and took off. He took them in and hasn't done anything but love 'em and take care of 'em since. If anyone's the abuser in those kids' lives, it's their mother."

"I know I don't have any right to ask this, but can I meet LJ's dad? I _have_ to know I'm sending him somewhere safe."

"I can't make any promises but I'll see if he'd be willing," Fornell said. "Where is LJ, Blake?"

The cowboy hesitated only briefly before answering. "He's here."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Face to Face**

Gibbs and Jack wandered around the park, each of them holding onto one of the kids' hands as they searched for a clean picnic table. Tony followed along holding Dash's leash in one hand and the picnic basket in the other, scanning the area for anything suspicious. They'd learned that too much time cooped up in the house wasn't good for anyone so they decided to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny day and go out on a picnic.

"This one looks good," Jack said. "It's out in the sun, no bird poop and it's close to the field so the kids can play."

Gibbs and Tony agreed and they got settled. Gibbs spread out the plastic tablecloth while Tony poked straws into Capri-suns and Jack pulled out the homemade chicken nuggets he'd made just before they left. The bag of cheese puffs was opened and a bowl of berries strategically placed in the middle of the table where everyone could reach.

"I wish LJ was here," Tony said, and immediately regretted it. He looked at Gibbs apologetically but Gibbs just nodded in agreement.

"Me too."

"I think we all do," Jack said. "We just have to keep believing he'll come home to us."

"I'm about ready to go get him myself," Tony grumbled. "A month! What the hell has Fornell been doing for a month?"

"You're a chip off the old block, Son," Jack said, "but I'm gonna tell you what I keep telling Leroy. Neither of you are going anywhere."

"For now," Gibbs said, sharing a sideways glance with Tony.

"I'll give him another week," Tony said. "I feel like that's more than generous."

"Gampa, ch'k'n," Mason said, pointing at the Tupperware dish full of chicken nuggets. He could smell them and they were making his tummy rumble!

"As Mason has pointed out, it's time to eat," Jack said, passing out chicken nuggets to both kids. "Let's try to have a good time and save the plotting for later."

The conversation turned happier and the group enjoyed their lunch. As the little ones learned more words, they joined in more and more, sometimes dominating the conversation while the adults sat back and listened with smiles on their faces. When what was left of the food was packed away, they walked around the trail and looked at the buds on the trees and bushes and enjoyed the new life spring brought. The day really was perfect—except for their missing family member.

They'd just arrived back at the picnic area when Gibbs' cell phone started ringing. "It's Fornell," he said. "Go ahead and take the kids over to the playground. I'll be there in a minute."

"Tell him he's got one week before NCIS comes in and gets the job done," Tony said.

Jack slapped the back of his head getting a smile out of Gibbs as he put the phone to his ear.

"Tobias, tell me you have news," Gibbs said.

There was a brief pause and some whispering on the other end of the phone before Gibbs got a response.

"Daddy."

The agent's mouth dropped open in shock as he tried to form a sentence. "LJ?"

"Daddy!"

"Hi buddy! How are you?"

"Me okay. Wan go home."

"I'm gonna get you home as soon as I can, buddy. I've missed you so, so much."

"Miss you."

"Jethro," Fornell said, his smile obvious in his voice.

"Tobias, where'd you find him?"

"Me wis Bwake," LJ answered. Fornell obviously had the phone on speaker.

"He's been in Oklahoma. He and Lisa have been staying with a rancher."

"Is he okay? Healthy? Happy?"

"He's doing great," Fornell answered. "He's well fed, clean, in good spirits. He's doin' a little dance right now listening to your voice. The cowboy says he's been crying for you ever since he found 'em on the side of the road."

"Why didn't he get him back to me?" Gibbs asked. He was too happy to sound upset but he did wonder.

"Apparently Lisa weaved quite the tale," Fornell answered. "She painted you as an abusive boyfriend and conned Blake, the cowboy, into taking them in."

"Me fee a chickies!" LJ announced proudly.

"You did?" Gibbs asked. "We're you a good helper?"

LJ looked up at Blake who smiled and nodded at him. "Bwake say yes."

"I'm sure you were, buddy," Gibbs said.

"I hate to make you guys say goodbye, but I need to talk to Daddy in private," Fornell told LJ. "Can you hang out with Blake for a minute?"

"No! Daddy!" LJ said, the tears already forming in his eyes.

"It's alright, big guy," Blake said. "You're gonna get to see Daddy tonight. I saw a vending machine in the hall. Let's go check it out."

"I love you, LJ," Gibbs said.

"Luv you, Daddy," LJ said before Blake carried him away.

Fornell clicked his phone off speaker and brought it to his ear. "Jethro."

"Is he _really_ okay, Tobias?" Gibbs asked.

"He is," Fornell answered. "I'll fill you in on everything when we get back."

"Did you get Lisa?"

"Yeah, McGee and Sacks are escorting her back. Listen, Jethro, I've got an unusual request I need to run by you. Blake's a good guy. He truly believed you'd been abusive and that he was protecting Lisa and LJ. He asked if you'd be willing to meet him so he knows LJ's safe. He really bonded with the kid and LJ seems to like him. Considering where Lisa could've ended up, I think it's safe to say Blake saved your boy's life. It'd give him some peace of mind to know he's sending the kid somewhere safe."

Gibbs thought it over while Fornell explained the situation to him. He wanted to be angry at the guy for keeping his son from him for so long but he knew how easy it was to fall into Lisa's lies. "Is he willing to come to DC?"

"Yeah," Fornell answered. "He's willing to deliver LJ to you with me."

"Alright," Gibbs said. "I'll meet with him. When are you flyin' in?"

"There's a nonstop flight leaving out of here this afternoon. We'll arrive at Dulles around 6:00. I'll send the flight information to DiNozzo's phone."

"Thank you, Tobias."

"I'm just glad we got a happy ending," Fornell said. "See ya in a couple hours."

Gibbs flipped his phone shut and started walking towards the group with a look of shock on his face. Not only had Fornell found his son, he'd just talked to him on the phone and he'd be home in his arms that evening. He'd gone from not knowing if his son was even alive to being hours away from giving him hugs and kisses.

Tony stopped him before he got too close to the kids. "He's dead, isn't he?" he asked quietly. "You've never spent that long on the phone before. He's dead."

"He's alive and he's coming home tonight," Gibbs said.

"Huh?"

"LJ's alive. Fornell found him. They're flying in tonight. He's gonna send the flight info to your phone."

Tony let out an embarrassingly feminine screech and threw his arms around his boss without even thinking. Gibbs just stood there and let himself be hugged, knowing Tony was as excited as he was but showed it differently. Jack and the kids looked on, confused about what was going on. It was either really good or really bad. They couldn't tell by the noise that came out of Tony's mouth.

"LJ's coming home," Gibbs said. "Fornell says he's happy and healthy and just missing his family."

"That's wonderful!" Jack said, his face lighting up. "Did you hear that, kids? Your brother's coming home."

"LJ bye-bye long time," Sadie said.

"He was gone for a long time," Gibbs agreed, "but he's coming home tonight."

* * *

The flight from Oklahoma City to Washington DC wasn't bad at all. It passed a little too quickly for Blake but with LJ sitting in his lap teeming with excitement and knowing how much the boy had struggled over the past month, it was hard not to be happy for him. After waiting for the passengers in front of them to deplane, they stood, collected their things and fell into line.

"You ready, big guy?" Blake asked as he carried the little boy towards the front of the plane.

"Daddy heah?" LJ asked.

"Your daddy's probably been here all afternoon, kiddo," Fornell said with a wink.

LJ started looking for a familiar face as soon as they stepped into the busy airport. Fornell led the way out of the secure area and immediately spotted Gibbs in the midst of the crowd. LJ saw him too and wiggled out of Blake's arms so he could get to him. He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, pushing past anyone that got in his way.

"Daddy!" he squealed as he was snatched into loving arms.

Gibbs tucked his boy tight against his chest and buried his face in LJ's soft hair, unsure if he'd ever be able to let go of him. Fornell spotted Tony and Jack standing back with the other kids and took Blake over to make introductions.

"Daddy, you cry," LJ said, touching the single tear streaking down Gibbs' cheek.

Gibbs smiled as he wiped the tear away. "Yeah, happy tears because I missed you so much." He pulled LJ into another tight hug and kissed the top of his head as he walked the couple steps to the group. He knew they were anxious to say hello too.

"Welcome home, LJ!" Jack said, rubbing his hand over the boy's back. "We've missed you." He leaned in and kissed him before backing up so Tony could have a turn.

Tony buried his face in Gibbs' chest, right next to LJ's. "LJ," he said in a goofy tone, "are you hiding from us? Did you turn into a shy kid while you were gone?"

Tony couldn't understand the muffled response but the little boy giggled and turned towards him. Tony smiled over at him and pinched his cheek. "Welcome home, little one."

"Me big man," LJ said. That was what Blake always called him.

"Oh no! When you left you were just a little guy. Now you're a big man? It does look like you've grown."

Gibbs stood his son on the floor and decided Tony was right. The boy had grown. Mason and Sadie said hello to their brother while Gibbs introduced himself to Blake then LJ practically climbed up his daddy, wanting to be in his arms again.

"I need to take Blake to headquarters to get a little more information out of him," Fornell said. "How about we stop by your place afterwards?"

"That'd be fine," Gibbs replied. "We'll see you in a bit."

* * *

Gibbs, Jack and Tony arrived home to a driveway full of cars. Abby had asked earlier if she could throw a welcome home party and Gibbs had agreed. From the looks of it Jimmy and Breena, Ducky, Ziva, Leon and Jackie were there as well. Tim was still stuck with Sacks, escorting Lisa back to DC.

"Let's let LJ go in first," Gibbs said as they made their way to the front door.

He opened the door and as soon as LJ stepped inside 'welcome home' cheers rang out. Mason and Sadie hurried in behind their brother to see what all the fuss was about. It was an exciting evening for them too. The adults were genuinely happy again and their brother was back from wherever he'd been for so long. There was a lot to celebrate.

The living room was decorated with huge, brightly colored helium balloons and a large welcome home banner that looked like it had been made by Abby. There was a large sheet cake on the coffee table along with a few gifts for all three kids so no one felt left out. Dash ran through with a bow on his head, followed by Kayla and Jared.

"Careful!" Jackie warned.

"Cake!" Mason shouted. He raced over to check it out, followed by his brothers and sisters.

Abby and Ziva cut the cake and passed it out while Gibbs personally thanked each person for coming. Unlike trying to get through Shannon and Kelly's deaths alone, he'd had his whole family there to support him through LJ being gone and it really had made a huge difference. After talking to everyone, he recruited Tony to help him retrieve the presents from the basement and they let the kids open their gifts.

"Doesn't this make you want some kids of our own, Jimmy?" Breena asked, hugging her husband's arm.

"Yeah, it kind of does," Jimmy admitted. "They're so cute."

"Well what are you two waiting for?" Tony asked. "It'd be great to have more kiddos running around!"

"I don't know, Tony," Jimmy said. "Are you sure you're ready to be a godfather?"

"Palmer—Palmers, you have never met a more qualified godfather," Tony said. "Hurry up! Let's have a baby!"

"Maybe we should wait till we get home," Breena said with a laugh.

"I suppose you're right," Tony agreed. "There are children present."

Sadie pedaled her new tricycle into the living room and crawled into her daddy's lap. The boys were still racing around the dining room table on their bikes.

"Trust me, Jethro," Jackie said, "it's better than toy drum sets."

"Oh I know," Gibbs replied. "We have one of those too. Tony got 'em a toy grand piano, toy guitar and toy drums. I got serenaded at 2:00 in the morning a couple nights ago."

"Baby grand piano, Boss," Tony corrected.

"I bet that was fun," Leon said.

"You know, Boss, if you cut a doorway in the kitchen, the kids would have their very own race track right in the house," Tony said.

"Maybe I don't want them to have a race track in the house," Gibbs said.

Tony shrugged and sank into the couch next to Abby. Abby smiled at him and patted his knee.

"As fun as this has been, I'm going to head home and soak in the tub before bed," Ducky said. "I couldn't be happier for you, Jethro."

"Thanks, Duck."

"We need to get going too," Jackie said. "The kids have homework to do and baths to take."

"Aw man!" Jared whined. "We just got here!"

"We've been here for two hours," Jackie said. "I'm sure Agent Gibbs is anxious to spend a little time with his family."

"Thanks for coming," Gibbs said.

"Enjoy your evening," Leon said. "Give your little ones extra hugs and kisses."

"Every day for the rest of my life," Gibbs said.

"Thank you for having us," Ziva said.

"Thanks for coming, Ziva."

"Are you ready to go?" Abby asked Tony.

"I don't know," Tony said as he stole Sadie from Gibbs. He hadn't had time to prepare himself to say goodbye and return to his apartment. In the last twelve hours LJ had been found, returned home and now life was getting back to normal.

"I'll keep you company tonight," Abby said with a seductive grin.

"You will, will you?" Tony asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "In that case we better get going."

"I really appreciate your help over the last month, Tony," Gibbs said extending his arm to shake Tony's hand.

"Anything for you, Gibbs."

"You no can go," Sadie told Tony matter-of-factly.

"I can't? You mean I have to stay here forever and ever and ever and take Dash on walks and dig up worms with the boys and wear those princess dresses you put on me and go swimming in the bathtub with you guys?"

"An took as-ghetti," Sadie added.

"_And_ cook spaghetti?" By that time Tony had both boys hanging on him too.

"Yeah!" Mason said. "Gotta stay!"

"What if I promise to come over and do all those things with guys all the time?" Tony asked.

LJ crawled up onto the couch and wiggled his way into Tony's lap with his sister.

"Would that be okay?" Tony asked as he wrapped his arm around LJ.

"Yeah," Sadie answered reluctantly.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Tony said. He tugged Mason onto his lap with the others and wrapped his arms around all of them.

"Is this gonna turn into an episode of _Full House_ where you end up moving into Gibbs' attic?" Abby teased lightly as she rubbed Tony's back.

"No," Tony said, "although…" He pretended to consider it for a moment then winked at Abby.

A knock at the door got Gibbs out of his chair. He answered it and invited Fornell and Blake in. Tony gave each child a kiss before standing them on the floor, saying goodbye to Jack and following Abby to the door. Abby gave Blake a hug for taking such good care of LJ then she and Tony said goodbye to Gibbs and left.

"I'm gonna take them up to get their jammies on while you guys get settled, Leroy," Jack said.

"You bringin' 'em back down?" Gibbs asked. He knew it was bedtime but he really wasn't ready to say goodnight yet.

"Yeah, we'll be right back."

Gibbs served Fornell and Blake cake and coffee. They sat in an awkward silence in the living room until Fornell told Gibbs about his decision to get Lisa back to DC on a different flight than LJ in hopes of lessening the likelihood of her making a scene. Blake talked about the challenges of living with the woman and how LJ coped and before they knew it the kids had returned with Grandpa.

"Are you guys ready for bed?" Gibbs asked.

"Now?" Mason asked.

"Yep, it's time," Gibbs answered. "Actually it's past your bedtime so you can sleep in in the morning if you want."

Mason and Sadie both giggled. They may not get up as early as their daddy but they didn't sleep in either.

"You're being awfully quiet all of a sudden, LJ," Gibbs said. "You okay?"

"No go," LJ said.

"Nobody's going anywhere, Buddy," Gibbs assured him. "How about I lay down with you till you fall asleep?"

LJ shrugged, still unsure but not wanting to disobey his daddy. What he really wanted to do was stay up all night with his daddy. Gibbs pulled his son into his lap and held him tight while Mason and Sadie snuck into the kitchen with Grandpa to sneak a cookie.

"Blake, you're welcome to stay here tonight," Gibbs offered. "We can talk after I get the kids to sleep if you want."

"I can stay in a hotel," Blake said. "I don't wanna put you out."

"Hotels around here are ridiculously expensive," Gibbs said.

"If you're sure it won't be any trouble," Blake said.

"I'm sure."

"If you don't need anything else from me, I'm gonna head out," Fornell said. "Some of us actually have to work tomorrow."

"Funny," Gibbs replied.

Gibbs and LJ walked Fornell out then Jack passed LJ a cookie as he sat down to talk to Blake while Gibbs took the little ones upstairs. Gibbs left Mason and LJ in their room giggling while he rocked Sadie and sang to her. After she fell asleep, he headed across the hall and got the boys calmed down. He sat down between the beds and rubbed their backs while he told them a story. Once they were both finally asleep, he headed back downstairs.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Jack said. "I might actually be able to finish my book tonight."

"G'night, Dad."

Gibbs settled in his chair and made himself comfortable. He was finally face to face with the man who'd had his son for the last month. "I appreciate everything you did for LJ."

"You're not upset I didn't call the police sooner?" Blake asked.

"I was conned by Lisa too," Gibbs said, "and if a woman had given me the same story she gave you, I probably would've believed it too."

"Agent Fornell told me how she conned you."

"I may not have had any intentions of having children but I love 'em more than life itself."

"It wasn't that I thought… Lisa just said… I didn't know what to think but I had to make sure, you know? I didn't want to be disrespectful to you. I really appreciate you agreeing to meet with me."

"Were you a cop in a former life?" Gibbs asked with an easy smile.

"No, but I lost someone I loved because I couldn't protect them," Blake said. "My wife was killed in a head on collision almost a decade ago. She was on her way home from work. We were supposed to celebrate our one year anniversary that evening. The nineteen year old driving the other car was texting her boyfriend."

Gibbs suddenly felt a stronger connection to the man sitting in the living room with him. "I'm sorry," he said. He knew there was nothing he could say to make it better and he wasn't going to spout off any of the one liners that people thought they needed to say when they heard about someone else's hardships.

"Thank you," Blake said. "I'm sorry about your wife and daughter too. I found out when I was doing research, trying to figure out if Lisa was lying."

"Thank you," Gibbs said somberly.

"You did a lot more with your life than I did with mine—big city investigator, making a real difference. I moved out to the middle over nowhere, bought a farm and spend most of my days hiding from civilization."

"We all cope as best as we can," Gibbs said. "You made a difference in our lives by getting LJ back to us safely."

"It was nice having him around," Blake said. "I'm gonna miss him but I'm glad he's home. He'll be happier here."

"Why don't you hang out with us for a few days, Blake," Gibbs offered. "We'd love to have you."

"I don't know."

"A little vacation never hurt anybody."

"Alright," Blake said, "I'll stay."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** This story's winding down. Only another chapter or two after this one. I'm going to try to leave it open enough I can possibly do a sequel at some point but still wrap up all the loose ends so I don't leave you guys hanging.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Reality Check **

Blake woke when added weight to his chest made it difficult to breathe but didn't open his eyes until the weight was multiplied. He found two little bodies sitting on top of him, watching him. "Mornin', guys," he said around a yawn.

"Hi Bwake," LJ said with a bright smile.

"Are you seepin'?" Mason asked.

"Not anymore," Blake answered with a chuckle.

Footsteps in the hallway put an abrupt end to their conversation. The boys dove under the blankets with Blake and stayed as still as they could.

"What're you two doing?" Blake asked, lifting the covers so he could see them.

"Shh," LJ said.

"Is baff time," Mason explained.

Gibbs heard the voices and poked his head in the room. He smiled when he saw two wiggling little bodies on either side of their guest. "I don't suppose you've seen Mason and LJ this morning," he said.

"I don't know where they could be," Blake answered with a grin.

"Alright, I guess that means there's more chocolate chip pancakes for the rest of us," Gibbs said.

LJ popped out first and both Gibbs and Blake pretended to be surprised.

"Where did you come from?" Blake asked.

LJ looked back and forth between his daddy and Blake and giggled. "I wan cake."

"Bath time first," Gibbs said, watching Mason slither towards the foot of the bed.

"Otay," LJ agreed.

Mason scooted himself down onto the floor and tried to crawl by his daddy unnoticed but was quickly scooped up.

"Look who I found," Gibbs said while Mason squealed.

"Well I'll be," Blake said. "I wonder where he coulda come from."

"Did they get you up?" Gibbs asked.

"They're fine," Blake replied. "I'm usually up by now anyways."

"Guys, from now on I want you to wait until Blake gets up to say good morning," Gibbs said.

"We sowry," Mason said.

"We still love you guys," Gibbs said, kissing both boys. "Blake, my dad's making pancakes if you're interested and there's coffee out there as well. I'll be down after I get these two bathed."

* * *

Sadie watched the milk in her sippy cup turn from white to pink as Grandpa shook it. She licked her lips and reached her hand out, anxious for a drink.

"Here you go, sweet pea," Jack said, bending to kiss her forehead as he handed her the cup. "Why don't you have a seat at the table? I'll have some pancakes ready for you in a minute."

"Tank you," Sadie said.

"You're welcome, baby."

"Mornin'," Blake greeted.

"Good morning," Jack said. "There's some coffee in the pot and I've got pancakes going if you're interested. I can put chocolate chips in 'em, blueberries, strawberries or leave 'em plain."

"Blueberries sound good if it's not too much trouble," Blake said. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble at all," Jack said.

"Can I help with anything?" Blake asked.

"I think I've got it covered," Jack said. "The newspaper's on the table if you're interested."

"I don't read the paper," Blake said. "I can't handle that much depressing news."

"I understand that," Jack said. "Leroy said you're a rancher?"

"Yeah but not really a professional rancher. I've got a few animals and a pretty big garden. I sell at the local farmer's market during the summer, trade produce for favors, help those out who don't have enough whenever I can. It's more of a hobby than anything."

"I see," Jack said. "So, do you work or…"

"I got a fairly large settlement from the family of the girl who killed my wife," Blake said quietly. "I wouldn't have sued had the state done something to punish her but I guess when your family's loaded and your father's connected the laws don't apply to you."

"I'm sorry, Blake," Jack said. "Our family's known loss too and it doesn't make it any easier when the justice system lets you down. It sounds like you've turned bad into good though and that's something to be proud of."

Blake nodded even though he didn't feel proud. He felt devastated.

"You look troubled," Jack said.

"I just thought I was over all these feelings, that's all." Blake didn't know if being around the triplets that was renewing his desire to have a bunch of children or seeing the support system Gibbs had to help him get through his devastating loss or just being around warm, loving, genuinely caring people that reminded him of his late wife but he suddenly found himself flooded with emotions he didn't think he'd have to deal with again.

"You don't get over feelings like that," Jack said. "They creep up on you when you least expect it."

"Yeah."

Blake helped Sadie cut up her pancakes while he and Jack shared stories of small town life. Gibbs brought the boys down after their baths and he and Blake made sure the kids were fed then they ate their breakfast while the kids played. After breakfast was cleaned up, the guys refilled their coffee and settled in the living room with the kids.

"Would you like to do any sightseeing while you're here or do you prefer to hang around the house, Blake?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm fine with whatever," Blake answered. "I'm not the type that needs to be on the go all the time to be happy."

"What do you have planned for today, Leroy?" Jack asked.

"McGee's coming into town later," Gibbs said. "I wanna check in with him and Sadie's been wantin' a new dress for spring."

"Maybe Blake would like to join the boys and I in the backyard for some t-ball while you two do that," Jack said.

"I would love to."

* * *

Tim wanted to scream after spending the last twenty four hours with what had to be the most annoying woman on the face of the earth and as if that hadn't been bad enough, he'd also been stuck with the most annoying FBI agent at Quantico. Never again would he complain about Tony's yabba yabba. Tony was witty, smart and humorous. Sacks was nasally, whiny and complained about literally everything. That was why when Sacks offered him a ride home, he'd quickly declined. A taxi was going to cost him a fortune but it would be worth every penny.

He stepped out into the warming spring air and paused to listen to the melodic rhythm the birds were chirping and the peaceful rustling of the leaves. He opened his eyes when he heard a car pull up in front of him and smiled when he saw Gibbs in the driver seat.

"Hop in, Tim," Gibbs said through the open passenger window.

"Thank you, Boss!" Tim said as he climbed in. "Boy am I happy to see you."

"Long trip back?" Gibbs asked with a knowing smile. He knew Tony didn't complain about Sacks just to complain and he could only guess what Lisa had put his youngest agent through.

"That's the understatement of the year," Tim said before turning around in his seat. "Hi, Sadie."

"Hi," Sadie said with a shy wave.

"We're going dress shopping but we thought we'd give you a lift first," Gibbs explained.

"I really appreciate it. You just saved me a small fortune on cab fare."

"So, how was she?" Gibbs was carefully avoiding Lisa's name with his daughter in the backseat.

"She was a wreck," Tim answered. "One minute she was calling me every name she could come up with and the next she was sobbing into my shoulder and begging for her life. As tempting as it was, it's not like I was gonna shoot her. I don't know if she was just putting on a show or what but even I feel emotionally unstable after all that."

"I'm glad you're back," Gibbs said, "and I appreciate all your help."

"Any time, Boss."

After dropping Tim off at his apartment, Gibbs took his little girl to Sears so she could pick out a dress like the one the little girl at the park had been wearing. Sadie had been talking about the dress nonstop ever since. Gibbs had no idea where the other child had gotten her dress but he hoped he could find something that would make his daughter happy.

Sadie let her daddy do most of the shopping and just shook her head at each dress he showed her. She pointed at a few but shook her head again when she realized it wasn't what she wanted. Gibbs was about ready to give up when he saw his little girl mesmerized by one of the mannequins.

"Do you like the dress she's wearing?" he asked.

Sadie nodded, still not taking her eyes off the pink, orange and yellow flowered sundress.

"Let's see if they have one in your size," Gibbs said, taking her hand and leading her over to the rack where the dresses were hanging. He offered up a silent prayer as he started shuffling through the dresses and was relieved when he found one in his daughter's size. He could only hope all shopping trips didn't take nearly an hour to find a single dress but the find offered enough relief he was willing to take a chance. "How about we look for some shoes to go with your new dress?"

Sadie's face lit up as she hugged her new dress to her chest. "Yeah," she answered with a bright smile.

It didn't take anywhere near as long to find a pair of white, flowered sandals to compliment the dress and the closed toed design would allow Sadie to be able to play comfortably in them, wear them on walks or just around the house if she chose to. All in all, the trip was more than worth it, just to see the excitement on his daughters face when the cashier handed her the bag.

* * *

"I generally like to consult with the victim before offering plea deals," Prosecutor Logan Ulrich said.

Gibbs cringed at the term victim. "What kind of plea deal?" he asked.

"Abduction and kidnapping by a parent is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia. However, since she took the child out of the Commonwealth it moves up to a Class 6 felony which is punishable by a one to five year imprisonment and up to a $2,500 fine. Child abandonment is also a Class 6 felony but the judge would most likely let her serve those terms concurrently. That makes her maximum punishment ten years and this is not my first case like this. I'm guessing with the overcrowding in the jails she'll end up getting somewhere between five and seven years and be out in less time than that with good behavior."

"What are you proposing?" Gibbs asked.

"After reading all the reports surrounding this situation, I'd like to offer her six years in a secure mental hospital," Ulrich said. "I think it's a fair deal for both parties. It's less than the maximum punishment she could receive if this goes to trial but a mental hospital would allow her to get the help she needs so she won't be a danger to you and your children when she gets out. Would you be satisfied with that plea deal?"

Gibbs shook his head as he thought it over. Sometimes he really hated the law and this was one of those times. The kids would only be eight years old when she got out if this deal went through. He wished he could have her locked up until the kids turned eighteen but he knew he could get a restraining order when she got out if things didn't get better. Maybe a little help was all she needed to get her head on straight again.

"If you think that's the best way to go then let's do it," Gibbs said.

"Alright. I'll write it up and present it to her lawyer first thing in the morning. I'll put a time limit on the deal and let you know what she says."

"Thank you," Gibbs said.

* * *

"Six years?" Jack asked in disgust.

"The law's screwy, Dad," Gibbs said, even though he was just as disgusted as his father. "And because she's their mother, it goes a little easier on her."

"Any chance the mental hospital will be able to help her?" Blake asked. "You did say she hasn't always been like this."

"I don't know," Gibbs replied. "If they can help her, it'll just lead to more drama. She'll try to get custody of the kids. If they can't help her we're gonna have to deal with stalking and constantly looking over our shoulders. This is gonna be a never ending thing."

"They shoulda shot her when they had the chance," Jack said.

"Can you move?" Blake asked.

"I'd have to check with my lawyer but I think I could," Gibbs said. "Her parental rights were terminated when she abandoned the kids. The thing is the crazy ones always find you and I don't want the kids to live a life on the run. I also don't want them having to look over their shoulders all the time. Damn it!"

Jack reached over and squeezed his son's shoulder. Things were getting really complicated, really fast. The likelihood of Lisa deciding to just leave them alone was slim to none which meant they had to prepare for whatever she might do and somehow find a way to give the kids a normal, happy childhood.

"Daddy?"

Gibbs looked at the door and smiled when he saw LJ. "Come here, buddy," he said. "What're you doing outta bed?"

LJ shrugged as he settled in his daddy's lap. "Are you're mad?"

"Nope. We're just talking about some adult stuff."

LJ stretched his leg out as far as he could and rested it against Blake's leg. Blake gave his foot a loving squeeze and smiled at him. After LJ said goodnight to everyone again and got more kisses, Gibbs took him back upstairs to lay him down while Blake and Jack stayed downstairs and continued to talk.

"I've been thinking on something for awhile, Jack," Blake said. "Mind if I run it by you?"

"Sure," Jack said. "What's up?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** This is the last chapter but I am planning on doing a sequel. Any loose ends will be tied up then. Thank you all for your support!

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Another New Normal**

_Lindsay Garner hugged her husband's arm, literally jumping up and down with excitement as she watched everything that was going on around them on the North Texas ranch. There were children picking fruits and vegetables in the gardens, teenagers riding horses in a fenced in field and preteens milking cows and collecting chicken eggs. A group from a local daycare was climbing into a wagon to go on a hayride and a class of culinary students from a nearby college was using the freshest of ingredients to prepare a meal. The place was buzzing with activity._

"_Isn't this exciting, Blake?" Lindsay squealed. Originally they'd just come to pick blueberries but they'd learned that was just part of what happened at the ranch. The money from the berries helped fund programs that provided a fun and educational experience for local children. "This is what I wanna do when we retire. It's so perfect! Don't you think?"_

"_It would be fun," Blake said with a chuckle. He loved how excited his wife got about practically everything. It didn't take much to please her and her happiness was definitely contagious. _

"_Fun? Blake, this would be perfect!" Lindsay said. "We could reach out to at risk children, foster children, military kids whose parents are deployed, children from single family homes, children from loving two parent homes… we could reach out to everybody! The kids would learn responsibility, healthy, active lifestyle habits. How are you not excited?"_

_Blake laughed as his wife all but danced around him. He was the luckiest guy in the world._

"_It would be great for our own children too," Lindsay said with a twinkle in her eye, "all eight of them."_

"_Eight?" Blake asked. "I thought you wanted six."_

"_That was last week," Lindsay said. "I want eight and they are going to be eight of the most loved children in the world."_

"_I can't argue with you there, Momma," Blake said, kissing his wife._

"_I'm glad I doubled my class load," Lindsay said. "The sooner I get my degree, the sooner we can get started. I don't wanna wait any longer than we have to."_

"_I can't think of a better time to start trying than our one year anniversary," Blake said. "It'll be the perfect way to cap off the surprise I have in store for you."_

"_Give me a hint," Lindsay begged. _

"_No," Blake replied with a smile._

"_An itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny one?" Lindsay asked hopefully._

_Blake leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. "Picture the most romantic thing you could ever think of."_

"_Okay."_

"_I guarantee you it'll be a million times better than that," Blake said. He watched as her mind flooded with possibilities about what he might have in store for her but she'd have to wait two weeks to find out. "So, what should we call our ranch?"_

"_That's the only hint I get?" Lindsay pretended to be upset but Blake knew better._

"_Yes."_

_Her glare turned into a giggle when she couldn't hold it any longer. "I love you."_

"_I love you."_

"_Do you remember that trail we hiked on our honeymoon?" Lindsay asked._

"_Hidden Trails," Blake replied. "We were the only ones there. You said you wanted to explore my hidden trails. We made love in the meadow."_

"_That's what I wanna call our ranch," Lindsay said, "Hidden Trails."_

"_It's perfect," Blake said._

"_I'm ready to retire and get started right now." Lindsay wrapped an arm around her husband and leaned against him as they walked. _

"_Patience," Blake said. "We have our whole lives ahead of us."_

"Blake, you okay?" Gibbs asked. "Blake?"

Blake's eyes met Gibbs' and he nodded. "Yeah, just thinkin'. Remembering."

"Ah," Gibbs said knowingly. A lot had happened over the past couple days and Gibbs knew it was stirring up memories for Blake. Blake had told him and Jack of his desire to buy some land nearby and fulfill his wife's dream. He didn't want to go back to lonely Oklahoma. He wanted to watch LJ grow and get to know his siblings. He wanted to spend more time with the people who had accepted him so easily. He wanted to be nearby when Lisa was released so if she tried to go after the kids again he could help protect them. He wanted a better life than what he was living on his lonely, secluded ranch.

"Wanna talk about it?" Gibbs asked.

Blake took a sip of his coffee and went back to his memories. He rarely spoke of his late wife but things were different with Gibbs. Gibbs knew what to say and what not to say. Gibbs knew how he felt. Blake had never talked to anyone who truly understood what he'd gone through but Gibbs was like his carbon copy.

"When Lindsay died, at first I thought I wanted to keep everything of hers. I don't know if I thought that if I kept the house the same it would be like she wasn't really gone or if it was my desperate attempt to hang onto her or what."

"Then you moved to the 'wanna get rid of everything' stage," Gibbs guessed, "because no memories might lessen the pain, might make it seem like she was never there so there'd be nothing to miss. You were angry at her for leaving you behind."

Blake nodded with an easy smile on his face. "I decided to keep a few things, special things, important things."

"That's what I did as well," Gibbs said. "Notes, pictures, my t-shirt she used to wear to bed…"

"This'll be different," Blake said. "This ranch is Lindsay's baby. She came up with the idea two weeks before she died and for a long time I didn't think I wanted to do it without her. I bought the ranch in Oklahoma, trying to live part of her dream I guess, but for Lindsay it wasn't about the land or the animals or the crops. It was about the kids and LJ being there, being my little shadow, he reminded me of that. I knew he was hurting but that hurt seemed to go away when we were feeding animals or milking cows or collecting eggs or riding the horse through the fields. _That_ was what Lindsay wanted."

"I hate that month that I spent without him but I'm glad he was able to bless your life."

"That kid's like my little guardian angel," Blake said. "I'd like the triplets to be a part of Lindsay's ranch. I'm gonna dedicate a special place on the ranch to LJ for teaching me how to _really_ live again."

"I'd be all for that," Gibbs said. "I think you'll have more than enough help."

"If the land north of Manassas turns out, it won't be that far away," Blake said. "I'll take all the help I can get. I want this to be perfect but, if I'm honest, I'm a little worried it's gonna overwhelm me emotionally. Things got pretty ugly after Lindsay died. I don't want to get stuck there again."

"What's important is the here and now. We can't change the past and dwelling on it doesn't help. Surround yourself with people who care about you, people you can care about. It'll help. I promise."

"I can see how it's helped you."

"I still get stuck sometimes."

A noise in the entryway drew their attention. They turned to see Sadie standing in the doorway of the living room. Gibbs narrowed his eyes in confusion as he walked over to her. The baby gates were still in place at the top and bottom of the stairs.

"How'd you get down here, sweet pea?" he asked as he scooped her up.

"Da stairs," Sadie said.

"You must've figure out how to work the baby gate. You're too smart for your own good." He smiled and winked at her. The baby gates had little doors that opened rather than having to remove them or step over them. It was probably time for him to let the kids start walking up and down the stairs anyways. They were steady on their feet and getting old enough to be able to handle it.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Blake asked when Gibbs sat down next to him with Sadie.

"Yesh," Sadie answered.

"Did you sleep?" Gibbs asked.

"No," Sadie said with a giggle.

"Sneaky," Gibbs said as he kissed her cheek.

"What're you gonna do with them when you go back to work?" Blake asked as he tickled Sadie's foot.

"My dad just put an offer in on a house a couple streets over. He's gonna watch 'em. We'll see how that works out."

"It's nice that they get to spend so much time with their grandpa. I did when I was little and I still have fond memories."

"I didn't have a lot of family around when I was growing up," Gibbs said. "I want my kids to have a lot of family and really feel loved. That includes you too. You're welcome here any time."

"I appreciate that."

* * *

The triplets giggled uncontrollably as they listened to Tony's silly commentary while tossing the pizza dough. He and Abby had come over after work to hang out with the kids while Gibbs and Jack went with Blake to check out the property Blake was interested in buying for his late wife's ranch.

"I can't find the pepperoni or sausage, Tony," Abby said. "We musta left a bag in the car."

"Want me to go get it?" Tony offered.

"Nah, I will. You're covered flour."

"My keys are in my pocket," he said jutting his hip out towards her and smiling.

Abby dug the car keys out then left Tony to continue the show he was putting on for the kids. It was the first time he'd seen them in a couple days and she knew how much he was missing them which was why she was thrilled when Gibbs had called and asked them to babysit.

"Pretty soon I'm gonna have to triple the amount of pizza I make for you guys," Tony said. "I bet it won't be long before you're eating your Dad out of house and home."

"We not eat Daddy's home," Mason giggled.

"Not yet," Tony replied with a wink. "Who's gonna help me put the toppings on these?"

Three 'mes' rang out as the kids jumped up and down in front of Tony, competing for his attention.

* * *

"Do you want kids?" Tony asked as he leaned against Abby on the couch with his hand resting on her thigh and hers on his. The kids had eaten, played hard, gone swimming in the bathtub with Tony and were now sound asleep in their beds.

"I don't know," Abby said thoughtfully. "I used to think no way, especially with the kind of guys I used to date."

"But now?"

"Now I think that maybe someday I will. What about you?"

"Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that I want kids and I want to be a part of everything—diaper changes, baby throw up, sick kids, dance class, little league, science fair, homecoming, prom. I wanna play Santa and the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy. I wanna teach 'em how to ride bikes and drive cars. I wanna intimidate the crap outta my daughter's boyfriends. I wanna do it all, Abby."

"You're gonna be such a good dad," Abby said.

"Who's gonna be a good dad?" Jack asked.

"Tony," Abby answered.

"There is no doubt in my mind that he will be," Gibbs said, locking eyes with Tony.

"What took you guys so long?" Abby asked. "Not that we minded. We had lots of fun."

"You know how the property was for sale by owner?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah."

"The woman was there."

"Sweet little old lady," Jack added. "We got to talking about what Blake wants to do with the land and—"

"She was excited," Blake cut in. "She thinks it's a good idea and wants to help. She offered me the land at a rock bottom price, less than what it's really worth. She said she can't take the money to her grave and her ungrateful stepdaughter doesn't deserve it so she wanted to give me the deal of a lifetime to help as many kids as I can."

"That's awesome!" Abby squealed.

"Was the property nice?" Tony asked. "Did you take the deal?"

"The property's beautiful," Blake said. "I took the deal. I've got some paperwork to do tomorrow but we shook on it and she's the kind of lady who wouldn't go back on a handshake."

"Happy for you, man," Tony said. "Congrats. Welcome to the northeast."

* * *

"You no go," LJ said. He reached out and rested his hand on Blake's cheek.

"I have to go for a little while, big guy," Blake said. "I have to go home and get some things taken care of and get Diesel and Thunder. Do you remember Thunder?"

"He a howse."

"Yep, he's the horse. We can't leave him all alone," Blake said. "I'll be back in a couple months and then I won't have to leave again."

"I will miss you," LJ said.

"I'll miss you too but you're home with your daddy now so you're gonna be just fine."

"'kay."

"Okay," Blake said. He playfully tapped the tip of LJ's nose before kissing it. "See ya later, alligator."

"Afer while cuckadile."

The cowboy handed Blake back to Gibbs and shook the man's hand. "Thanks for everything."

"Any time," Gibbs replied. "See ya soon."

"Bye, kiddos," Blake said, kneeling in front of Mason and Sadie.

"Bye-bye," Mason and Sadie said.

"Jack, thank you."

"I'm looking forward to your return, Blake," Jack said as they shook hands.

After one last wave goodbye, Blake stepped up to the check in counter at Dulles. He'd come so he could have some peace of mind about LJ's wellbeing and he was leaving with peace and hope, a new family and a new future.

* * *

Gibbs sat nervously in front of the prosecutor's large desk while the man flipped through a pile of folders. He'd been worried ever since their last meeting and he knew he'd continue to worry after the meeting. The welfare of his children was the most important thing in the world to him. He couldn't control Lisa and she'd already proved herself to be unpredictable and willing to go to any means necessary to get what she wanted and that scared him.

"Here we go," Ulrich said, opening one of the folders. "Lisa accepted the plea deal. She'll be transferred this evening and spend the next six years undergoing extensive therapy. You'll be notified if anything changes and when she's released."

"Will she come out of this "rehabilitated"?" Gibbs asked adding air quotes for effect.

"That's the goal," the prosecutor said. "She won't be released if the doctors feel she's a danger to herself or others."

Gibbs was guessing that was supposed to be comforting but it wasn't. He also knew there was nothing he or anybody else could do about it. He just had to be prepared to protect his kids. He pushed his failure with Shannon and Kelly out of the way and let confidence replace doubts. A lot had changed since his wife and daughter's murder. He wouldn't lose anyone else he loved to senselessness.

He put on his best face and extended his arm to the prosecutor. "Thank you. I appreciate you keeping me informed through this process."

"Anything I can do to make this easier on you and your family," Ulrich said.

Gibbs straightened his jacket as he stepped out of the office. He smiled as his dad stood and they held the kids' hands and made their way down the hall. With Lisa taken care of and his family all in one place he could begin to adjust to another new normal for his life.

**The End**


End file.
